Solstice Sun
by ChocolateSyrup
Summary: The legend of the Dragon Warrior was just that. A legend. Then why was it slowly coming to life before their very eyes, and why are there people trying to destroy him? The Dragon Warrior was immortal, over a thousand years old. He couldn't die...right? Threequel to Eternal Flame and The Fire Within.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey, everyone! Wow, I got this up sooner than expected xD Yes, I'm back with a threequel to Eternal Flame and The Fire Within! I strongly recommend_ _reading them first if you are new so things make sense. I_ _don't have much else to say except that I hope you enjoy this one just as much as the other two. On we go! :)_

xxxx

 _"Legend tells of a legendary warrior whose kung fu skills were the stuff of legend...he was first a panda, but then transformed into a dragon. He gave up everything in order to protect the universe and all of time..."_

Two cubs panted heavily on their way up the mountain. No one had been to the Dragon Grotto in decades, and they wanted to be the first to make it to the cave now that a thousand years had passed just like in the story that they had heard over and over.

Of course, they knew that it was just a story. It wasn't _real._ It had been passed down from generation to generation, and everyone who had actually believed—those who had claimed that they were actually there—were gone by now, with no proof to back it up. But they were determined to find out if a dragon had been truly resting in the cave for a thousand years like the legend said.

"Are you coming or not, Chao?" a small, black and white panda cub asked his orange and white tiger friend who had fallen very behind.

Chao gasped for breath, shaking his head wildly. "Maybe I should just wait down here, Lotus..."

"Aw, you're just a big scaredy-cat," Lotus teased. "You don't really _believe_ in that stuff, do you? The end of the world? _Dragons?_ They don't exist! It was probably just a story that some crazy person made up."

"A thousand years have passed, and that's when he's supposed to wake up!" Chao objected, bending over to try and get his breath back. "My great-great-great-great-something grandma was a part of the Furious Five and was _friends_ with him! This toy actually used to be his!" The tiger pulled out a torn and dirty panda toy from the pack around his waist.

Lotus scoffed, waving a hand at his friend. "That old thing? It's a panda, not a dragon. You can't just change from a panda into a dragon. You _also_ can't live to be a thousand years old and I don't see any weird red clouds, either." In fact, the weather was nice today. Maybe a few clouds here and there, but it didn't look anything like the end of the world. The world just _couldn't_ end. That was impossible!

"But that's what the story said," Chao protested. "My mom tells it to me all the time."

"Ah, you'll believe anything anyone tells you," Lotus laughed. Chao frowned as he finally caught up. They had finally reached the cave!

Slowly, trying their best not to make any sounds, they entered the Dragon Grotto cave. Well, only one entered. Chao stayed behind, refusing to go any further.

"But we're not supposed to go in there!" he cried in a quiet whisper for fear that whatever might be inside would hear them. If there _was_ anything inside.

Lotus let out a frustrated sigh. "Don't you want to find out if it really _is_ true?" he prodded. "We can't tell if anything's inside from out here!"

Chao nodded nervously. Of course he did. But this was trespassing and they could get into serious trouble!

"Then come on!" Lotus pushed, beginning to enter the cave. Chao squeaked at the thought of being left alone outside, rushing to catch up to his panda friend.

They walked silently through the cave, Chao holding his panda toy tightly to his chest for comfort. Who knew what they would find in here? It was one of the oldest caves in the Valley of Peace!

But as they entered deeper with nothing but a lantern to light the way that Lotus had brought along, what they didn't expect to find was a massive dragon sleeping in the center. The two cubs stood stock-still, hardly believing their eyes that the story had actually been true.

It was actually _real!_

"So it _was_ true," the black and white cub whispered in shock, staring in awe at the huge creature that was resting before them. Its sides fell up and down in a slow kind of manner, its eyes closed. There was an old, worn basket sitting next to it filled with a number of different items, and pictures that had been hung up on the cave walls over the years. He noticed a weird stick-like object in between the dragon's front feet that looked shiny and almost new compared to the other items that scattered the cave.

"Lotus...what are you doing?!" Chao whispered frantically as the panda reached for the staff.

The dragon flinched and Lotus jumped, fearing the worst, but it remained asleep. The little cub grinned and pulled the staff away.

"Cool," he said in excitement, running his paws over the staff. He waved it in the air, pretending that it was a sword.

"Put it back!" Chao screamed in a whisper, his eyes widening when the dragon began to stir. He hugged the old panda toy closer to his striped chest.

"You worry too much," Lotus protested, oblivious to the fact that a giant dragon was starting to wake. "It's sound asleep."

He finally froze, staff still in hand, when bright green eyes snapped open, and the tiger and panda cubs found themselves staring back at the very same dragon from the legend—the dragon that had finally woken after a thousand years.

xxxx

"W—what do we do?" Chao stammered in the quietest whisper he could muster as they continued to stare back at the giant, golden reptile. It hadn't budged and was just staring right back at them, hardly processing the fact that there were two helpless and defenseless cubs standing right in front of it.

Lotus gripped the staff tighter that he had taken from the beast while it had still been asleep, eyes as big as the dragon itself.

"You...pet it...and I'll..."

The creature blinked in confusion, finally beginning to fully wake. It snorted, harshly blowing their fur as though a strong wind had swept through the cave.

"RUN!"

"Lotus, wait!" Chao screamed after his friend as the young panda shot in the other direction away from danger. Chao soon found himself all alone next to the huge dragon—a _dragon_ that was starting to move.

It lifted itself up and Chao backed away against the cave wall, hardly believing that Lotus had gone and left him with such a huge animal...a _dragon!_ Lotus had said that dragons didn't exist, that they were made up. But there was a dragon standing right in front of him now—and it certainly didn't look fake or made up!

It did look very disoriented and groggy, like it had just woken up from a long nap. What had the legend said? Chao was in too much of a shock to think straight. Heart pounding so loud that he was afraid the dragon would hear it, he crept slowly and quietly as he could through the cave towards the exit. He heard a growl that had come from none other than the dragon itself, and his heart rate sped up at least five times quicker.

He finally made a break for it when the dragon decided to distract itself by glancing at one of the pictures that had been hung up on the cave walls. The little tiger kept running and didn't look back, only stopping when he had no other choice but to catch his breath.

It took him a moment to realize that there was no thundering sound from behind him, and that there was nothing to take advantage of the fact that he'd stopped to get his breath back.

"It's not following us..." Chao murmured.

Slowly but surely, he made his way back towards the cave's center, confused and curious to find out why. His heart rate returned to normal and his chest fell up and down in a more steady motion when he found that the dragon was struggling to stay standing as it stared at the picture, like its muscles were much too sore to be moved. It was blinking rapidly to get rid of guck that had built up around its emerald colored eyes, and panic was making its way across its bleary expression.

...Was it _crying?_

xxxx

 _Master Oogway...please help...help me...I thought I was ready; I'm not. I'm not ready, master, I'm not ready! I'm not strong enough, I can't do this alone...give me a sign...anything. Please..._

There was nothing but complete silence.

Po closed his eyes, tears threatening to break free. He didn't want to; his eyes had already been closed for a thousand years. He wanted them to stay open for as long as possible, to stay permanently glued to the picture ahead. He couldn't recall anyone bringing drawings upon first beginning to fall asleep, but there were pictures now that someone must have brought later on. Pictures that contained the Furious Five, Shifu and his dads.

His _dads,_ Li and Mr. Ping. They were gone. Everyone was _gone_ and it was all his fault. Time had gone by so fast. One moment, he had been saying his farewells. The next, he had woken up in a completely different timeline in the blink of an eye—he knew it without even needing to step outside—he didn't even _want_ to know what the outside looked like.

This was too much. He should have thought things through more clearly! A pained wail escaped as the horrid realization that everyone he had known... _everything_ he had known was _gone_ tore through him like an arrow being shot through his chest for a second time.

What had he been thinking?

It wasn't until he heard a _snap_ and a small and panicked gasp did he realize that there was someone else in the cave with him, and that he wasn't alone as he had thought. Had Master Oogway answered at last?

Turning his head in the direction of the noise, he spotted a small cub in the cave with him. A cub that looked just as terrified as he felt, and a cub that looked almost exactly like...

 _Tigress?_ he thought hopefully.


	2. Chapter 2

It was odd that the last thing Po remembered before falling asleep was Tigress—a tiger—and the first thing he had seen upon waking was just that—a tiger.

His hope faded as he realized that it wasn't Tigress; that would be impossible. With a heavy heart, Po knew that she had most likely passed on ages ago during the time of his long-lasting hibernation. The tiger standing frozen before him was also just a cub, and a small one. He had a light-brown pack wrapped around his waist and bright, yellow eyes that were another startling reminder of his late best friend.

Po wondered if he was alone and had just happened to wander into his cave, or if there was someone else with him. A friend, maybe. He had no idea, but the cub had come in answer of his plea to Master Oogway—he was sure of it.

So he began to approach slowly and calmly so as not to frighten the little one.

xxxx

 _You're so stupid!_ Chao scolded himself once his foot had snapped the twig. The dragon instantly turned in his direction and the cub's breath left him just as quick.

But the dragon didn't move. It simply stared back at him as if lost in thought. Chao's heart continued to thud. It thudded so hard that he was afraid it would burst right out of his chest.

It didn't make things any better when the huge beast started moving towards him.

It was _moving_ towards him.

On the verge of hyperventilating, it was all Chao could do to just stand there and hope that the dragon wouldn't bite his head off. Were they evil? Were they friendly? The legend never said, and Chao prayed with all his might that the creature was at least wanting to make friends.

"Please don't hurt me," he managed to get out. "I—I was just leaving..."

The dragon tilted its head to the side in a quizzical manner. Chao had no idea if it could understand him, but the head tilt seemed to be a reply of some sort, as if it was trying to understand; maybe it didn't. It was mere inches in front of his face now, crouching down so that it was at his level like it was getting ready to pounce. Chao had no idea how he was still standing from the fear and adrenaline that was threatening to take him under, but he kept talking anyway.

"Do y—you want..."

What? Food? He had no idea what dragons ate, and it was most likely something like _him._

Chao reached slowly for the pack around his waist. He moved his paw, trying to feel what he was looking for. It had to be in there somewhere! His heart rate sped up once more.

Oh, no! He'd lost his panda toy! That "thing" as Lotus had called it had been in his family for generations, and he was always told to protect it at all costs. He must have dropped it while trying to get away. He really _was_ stupid and was going to get in so much trouble if he went back home without it. Plus, he'd have to explain to his mother that he and Lotus had sneaked into the Forbidden Zone of the Valley of Peace.

This whole thing was stupid! He never should have listened to Lotus, and where was that panda, anyway? He'd just taken off without even looking back! And he'd also taken—

The sound of a panicked yelp broke Chao from his thoughts, and the young tiger looked up to see that the dragon had come to a similar realization—its staff was gone!

It glanced frantically every which way around the cave, desperately trying to find the lost item. It must have been very important, because the dragon was just as panicked as him when he realized that he'd lost the panda toy.

"I—I know what happened to it," Chao stammered, hoping to calm the frightened reptile. It stopped its frantic searching almost immediately, turning its gaze back towards the anxious cub. It tilted its head again as if waiting for an explanation.

"My friend was really dumb. He wanted to play with it and then ran off when you woke up. I have no idea where he went, though," Chao explained the best that he could, worry beginning to creep in. Where was Lotus, anyway?

Then the dragon glanced in the direction of the cave's entrance and for the first time, Chao noticed just _how_ terrified it looked. He could remember now that the legend said this dragon in particular had gone to sleep for a thousand years. It had lost everything most important to him, which explained why it stopped to look at one of the pictures. Now that Chao had a chance to look himself, he could see what exactly had made it stop.

There was a goose, a panda, a smaller red panda, and a group of figures that Chao recognized—the Furious Five! It was the group that his grandma had once joined.

Wait...

It was his great-great-great something _grandma!_

"Is this your family?" he asked softly just to be sure, feeling a bit stupid for asking— _talking_ to the dragon when he had no idea if it truly _did_ understand him. It was weird that a dragon could have had a panda and a goose for a dad, but the legend had said that it used to be a panda itself.

The dragon nodded solemnly in response and let out a tiny, distressed whine, pushing his nose lightly against the picture. It was then Chao realized that it actually _could_ understand what he was saying.

"I'll help you find your staff if you promise not to eat me," he bargained cautiously.

The dragon brightened, nodding once more. Chao released a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding, relief sweeping through his entire body once he knew that yes, he was safe and that the dragon wasn't going to harm him.

It was then that he spotted a small shape out of the corner of his eye.

 _There it is!_ His mind cried in double relief as he spotted the panda toy. He figured that it must have fallen from his grip when he was trying to get away from the dragon. Maybe he wasn't going to get in trouble, after all...the only obstacle was the dragon itself.

xxxx

Po had forgotten just how sneaky cubs could be; they almost had better stealth mode abilities than he did, especially while he was in dragon form.

 _Permanently_ in dragon form, he had to remind himself.

Which was why it confused him when the tiger cub had been right in front of him one second, and gone the next.

He couldn't let him get away! Po had no intention to hurt the little guy, but he didn't want to be alone again. He wanted to be _anything_ but alone. His search didn't last for long, however.

He found the cub right behind him, reaching down to grab something. Thinking fast, he wrapped his tail gently around the cub's waist and lifted him up into the air.

The cub screeched in fright, obviously not expecting such an action.

"Okay, okay! I'll put it back! Put me down!" he screamed.

 _Put what back?_ Po thought in confusion.

But then he saw it clenched tightly in the cub's paws.

 _That's my...my..._ his mind reeled. The cub hanging helplessly from the tip of his tail was holding...was it possible? Tigress had kept it all that time, making sure to pass it down from generation to generation? How had it not gotten lost in the deadly ripples of time?

Po immediately placed the cub back on the ground so as not to frighten him further, bursting at the seams with questions. Was he related to Tigress in some way? How else would he have the toy? He backed up again as fast as he could against the cave walls, but then visibly relaxed when Po made it as clear as possible that he wasn't going to harm him. The cub glanced down at the panda toy in his paws, then back up at Po.

"...I can hang onto it if you want me to while we look," the tiger said carefully, assuming that the item, like the staff, was extremely important to him.

Po nodded slowly. He barely knew the cub—they'd just met! But he had a feeling that the child could be trusted, as the child was putting trust in him that his head wouldn't be bitten off.

 _What's your name?_ Po wanted to ask. But he knew that he was just stalling to avoid the unavoidable.

He was going outside whether he wanted to or not. He couldn't stay in the cave forever.

He had to; the staff was important not just for nostalgia reasons, but the fact that he needed it to perform his task that he had been destined to do in the first place.

But what was the Valley going to look like? A thousand years had passed, and nothing was going to be the same ever again. He could feel his heart tearing in two, and it hurt more than he had ever imagined.

But he _had_ to do this; the universe was depending on him. He'd asked Master Oogway for help, for some kind of a sign. Then he had come across the tiger cub who had managed to sneak his way into the cave—a cub that looked strikingly similar to Tigress, that was actually holding his long-lost childhood toy that he had given to her just before falling asleep.

There had to be a reason that their paths had crossed, and not just because he had a connection to Tigress.

"Are you ready?" a small voice asked. Po glanced down to see the little one staring back at him with a gentle, understanding expression.

 _How much does he know?_ Po had to wonder. How much of his story—the legend of the Dragon Warrior—had been shared and preserved over a thousand years?

A thousand years...

Nodding slowly again, he knew that there was no other choice.

And so, taking a deep breath and bracing himself for whatever awaited them—he followed the young tiger cub outside.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Po noticed when he stepped outside was the fact that everything was gone.

The Valley of Peace was _gone;_ it was a desolate wasteland as he looked out over the mountain edge across the vast distance of...absolutely nothing.

He first wondered how the tiger cub and his lost friend could have made their way through such a harsh looking environment.

Then the utter shock and horror began to settle in. His home...what _happened?!_

A startled scream momentarily tore his thoughts away from the pain and despair that flooded through his entire being.

"Lotus! That's not funny!" the cub cried when another furry blur jumped out at him, grabbing him by the shoulders. Po hardly paid any mind—he just continued to walk forward, his legs feeling as though they were jelly.

 _Lotus?_ the name rang with familiarity in the back of his mind—it had been his first name—his _birth_ name—back before he had become Po when Mr. Ping found him in the radish basket.

Finally stopping and glancing down for a moment before walking down the mountain any further, Po could see that they didn't have to worry about searching for the tiger's friend any longer—he had found them, instead.

Lotus was a panda, Po noticed first. How could he not notice that? He had been a panda himself once long ago. The cub was black and white with a bit of brown that highlighted the patches around hazel-colored eyes. He wore gray, loose pants and the second thing Po noticed was that unlike what the tiger had said, he didn't have the staff in hand.

No matter how much his heart ached and throbbed, Po didn't have time to worry about what had happened to the Valley of Peace during his thousand year hibernation.

Where was his staff?!

xxxx

"You should have seen the look on your face!" Lotus laughed, slapping a knee and trying not to fall over. "You really _are_ a scaredy-cat!"

"Oh, yeah? _You're_ the one that ran off! Who's the scaredy-cat _now?"_ Chao challenged, crossing his arms and frowning at the laughing panda.

"I—I didn't run off," Lotus sputtered. "I—I..." he trailed off, unable to think of an explanation to cover up the fact that yes, maybe he _was_ a scaredy-cat like his dear friend had said.

"You left me with a _dragon!"_ Chao screamed at the top of his lungs. "A dragon that could have eaten my head off!"

"Well, it didn't," Lotus countered, rolling his eyes like it was no big deal.

 _No big deal?!_

"It _could have,"_ Chao shot back, turning around and giving Lotus the cold shoulder. He wasn't going to be talking to him anytime soon. He just wasn't! He wouldn't give in!

"But _did it,_ Chao?" Lotus asked innocently.

"...No." Chao sighed. He could never ignore Lotus for long; the panda didn't like to be ignored and was very persistent.

It was then that Lotus felt a nudge against his back. It wasn't a light kind of nudge, so it couldn't have been Chao, who was standing right in front of him—it was too _strong_ of a nudge. He immediately spun around, only to come face-to-face with...

...a _dragon?!_ He screamed in fright, leaping behind Chao.

"You should have seen the look on _your_ face!" Chao cried in laughter, nearly falling to the floor with tears in his eyes.

"...I wasn't scared!" Lotus defended himself quickly, staring in amazement at the large beast. "He's huge! This is awesome!"

"Sure you weren't." Chao shook his head in exasperation. Lotus would never admit it, but Chao knew that he had been just as scared as him.

The dragon had been standing on the sidelines, watching in amusement as the two carried on their argument. But then it made a distressed whining sound, sniffing Lotus for what Chao knew he was looking for. How could he have forgotten?

"He's looking for his staff. Do you still have it?"

"Staff?" Lotus questioned, honestly confused. He couldn't remember much after running out of the cave; he'd been too focused on getting away (though he hadn't been _afraid_ )

Chao let out a sigh. "The stick that you took from him."

"Ohh." Lotus reached for his pockets, trying to feel if anything was inside. He looked all around and behind him, then gave Chao a nervous smile.

"You lost it?!"

xxxx

This was bad.

This was _very_ bad.

Po _needed_ that staff—it was integral in its role of helping to save the universe. Sure, in the end, it had stopped working and he'd had to use his own Chi the first time.

But what would happen if he couldn't find it? Po didn't want to find out. He glanced up at the sky. It was blue and clear—a little smoggy—but clear, and the sun was starting to set. Nothing out of the ordinary had started, but he knew that he had to hurry; he'd finally woken up and for a good reason!

He didn't want to, but he needed to get his point across of how important it was that they found it, so he growled at the two anxious cubs. They backed up quickly as he expected that they would. But Po was careful not to scare them too much; he needed their help!

"You promised not to eat me if I help you look! I'm still going to look!" the tiger, whose name he'd caught in between the snippets of his argument with Lotus—Chao—promised instantly in response to the growls, his eyes wide and panicked.

"I'm Lotus, by the way," the little panda introduced himself, "and this is Chao," he confirmed.

It was strange to Po that the cubs both held names that were precious to him in one way or another. Lotus had been his birth name, and Chao reminded him of Bao. His heart skipped a beat as he remembered his younger panda friend, the one who had always wanted to play with him be a dumpling kicker. The only difference was that Chao was a tiger and not a panda, and his name had a C and an H instead of simply a B. Was this another sign?

Po shook his head. He couldn't get distracted! Another growl was let out. This was _serious._

"Okay, okay, we'll help you find it now," Chao said.

"Uh, _we?"_ Lotus remarked.

 _"You're_ the one who lost it in the first place! It was your idea to come here!"

"It's _your_ dragon!"

"It's not 'mine!' _He's_ the Dragon Warrior!"

Po watched and listened to the two arguing, a mildly amused expression flashing across his face.

Lotus gave in at last. "Well okay, then. I guess I'll help you guys find the stick."

"Staff," Chao corrected with a frown. Why couldn't Lotus have a little more respect for the legendary Dragon Warrior? He had just woken after a thousand years, and now he had to listen to the two of them bicker.

"Are you coming or not?" Lotus called as he made his way down the mountain. "I don't think it's around here...I would have seen it already."

xxxx

"So you're really the Dragon Warrior?"

The questions seemed to never end. They were thrown at him left and right, and Po had no idea why they were even asking them if he couldn't reply. Well, he _could_ reply with a nod or a shake of his head, but it did get a bit tiring. Weren't they supposed to be helping him look for the staff?

"Are you really a thousand years old?" Chao questioned, his orange fur bristling in excitement.

"Were you really once a panda?" Lotus wanted to know.

Po continued to walk ahead, leaving large footprints behind him in the dirt. There wasn't any green anywhere as far as he could see.

While finding his staff was top priority, he needed to see if the Jade Palace was still standing after all these years. He had to know—he _needed_ some kind of familiarity to grab onto, and maybe someone besides the kids could tell him what happened. His chest felt tight as he passed by the spot where the noodle shop used to be.

 _Used_ to be.

Much to his dismay, Po found that there was still nothing but dirt. Anxiety beginning to seep in, he couldn't help but run in the direction of the Jade Palace. It had to be there. It _had_ to!

"Where's he going?" Lotus asked as the dragon charged ahead without warning.

"Wait!" Chao called. Po didn't listen.

His heart nearly stopped at the horrible sight before him.

The Jade Palace was _gone._ There was nothing in its place at all except dirt, dirt and more dirt as far as the eye could see as though they were in a desert. He glanced frantically every which way, but it was like the palace had never even existed. The only thing that remained were the mountains that had once protected the Valley.

Where had everything _gone?_

xxxx

"We should give him a name," Lotus suggested out of the blue as Po stood in place. He hadn't budged since they had caught up to him, and Chao was beginning to worry that something was wrong.

"Lotus!" he scolded, making sure to keep an eye on the still dragon. It seemed to be in shock; what would they do if it fainted or something? They had no idea how to treat a sick dragon! But then again, the Dragon Warrior was immortal, right? He couldn't die. But something was really wrong.

"What?" Lotus asked defensively. "We can't be calling him Dragon Warrior all the time. But I _do_ like the name warrior. So let's call him Zhanshi."

Chao shook his head. You just couldn't go around naming legendary warriors! What kind of a name was Zhanshi, anyway? It meant 'warrior,' and the dragon was already known as the Dragon Warrior. What a boring name! If they were going to name him anything, it had to be powerful and majestic, not something simple and obvious!

xxxx

Po knew that he could have stopped them. He could have gotten their attention somehow and written his name down in the endless dirt that now littered the once lively Valley of Peace—Po.

But he just didn't have it in him. He couldn't even bring himself to be slightly amused as they argued over different names for the dragon that they'd found in the cave.

He just stood there staring straight ahead, not responding at all to Chao's own attempts to get his attention; he was vaguely aware of the cub trying to get Lotus to stop calling him Zhanshi.

The only thing he could do as his legs shook was to collapse onto the soft soil beneath his aching body.

Panicked, the cubs had to leap out of the way to avoid being crushed.

Po lifted his head towards the sky and a series of long, low and mournful howls were released into the night.

xxxx

Chao and Lotus exchanged glances with one another; how could they comfort a depressed dragon? Chao knew that the Dragon Warrior had sacrificed a lot for the good of the universe; it was a big part of the legend.

"Thinking of the world," Chao whispered softly in realization. Po still made no response, continuing to stare blankly ahead and his expression void of any emotion at all as he lay listlessly on his side in the dirt.

"That's what we're going to call you," Chao said gently, making his way around Po's large body until he was staring directly into his eyes. "Zhanshi Siyu. Warrior thinking of the world..."

Lotus nodded gently in agreement.

xxxx

Po squeezed his eyes shut. Chao was right; he _had_ made his decision to stay as the Dragon Warrior in order to protect the universe. He _had_ been thinking of the world, as his new name 'Siyu' meant.

He could still tell them that his name was Po by means of writing. But he wasn't even sure if he _wanted_ them to know his real name, a name that had gotten lost over the years in the shadow of the legendary Dragon Warrior title. Maybe a new name would help him cope with letting go of what he had lost, to help him move forward. To remind him why he chose what he had in the first place. He'd made his decision—there was no going back. Master Oogway had made that perfectly clear.

He wasn't Po anymore.

Zhanshi Siyu...

He wished he could tell the two that he loved the name they'd picked for him.

Warrior thinking of the world.

Thunder suddenly cracked and rain poured down; Po was unsure whether it was natural or if it was because of his own ability to control the weather, especially based on what he was feeling.

He made no move to get up and find shelter. He couldn't have even if he wanted to; the cubs had made themselves at home right besides his chest in order to escape the mud that was beginning to form all around them. Lifting his tail, he curled himself into a ball to create a makeshift shelter around the two. They could find the staff tomorrow.

As he drifted off into a restless sleep, Po recalled the promise Mr. Ping had made that when he woke up, he wouldn't regret the decision that he had chosen...

But he was starting to regret it.


	4. Chapter 4

_To all the guests who have asked: Time travel may or may not have a role in this story ;)_

xxxx

"Come on, you gotta get up," Chao pleaded with the still dragon.

Siyu hadn't budged ever since he'd collapsed to the ground the day before. It was morning now, and he and Lotus had had no luck in getting the Dragon Warrior to move. He was still lying on his side in the mud, his eyes blank and emotionless. He was still breathing though, which was a good sign; it was easy to tell with the way his chest heaved up and down. But something sounded rough and wrong...

"I think he's sick..." Lotus said uncertainly as he looked into Siyu's eyes. They weren't as bright as they had been when they first met, but a dull jade. He turned to Chao, a panicked expression making its way across his features. "What are we gonna do now? We can't help a sick dragon!"

"We'll think of something..." Chao thought and thought and thought, but nothing was coming to mind. He wasn't a doctor, and he doubted that a real doctor would want to or know how to help such a huge creature.

"Your mom is gonna kill us," Lotus said, pacing back and forth frantically in the mud. When he and Chao had woken up, they realized that they hadn't even remembered falling asleep; they'd found themselves underneath Siyu's tail that he must have raised over them to block the rain. "We told her we'd only be gone for three days. It's been two and if we don't leave now, we'll be grounded forever!"

"What?" Chao cried, hardly believing his ears. Lotus always gave things up too quickly! "We can't leave him! He needs us!"

"Well, we don't know how to help him," Lotus argued. "We'll only make things worse!"

"We'll make things worse if we abandon him. He'll die. At least, I think he'll die..."

Wasn't the legendary Dragon Warrior supposed to be immortal? He couldn't die, right? Chao wasn't going to take any chances. If Siyu could get sick, then there was a high chance that he could die. He needed their help! Maybe his mom could do something, but the last thing he wanted to do was give her a heart attack. Besides...if they revealed Siyu to her, then she would definitely know that they had been to the Forbidden Zone!

"Maybe we need to find the stick," Lotus suggested. "He might be connected to it or something."

"The staff that _you_ lost," Chao shot back. "But we can't leave Siyu here alone. One of us has to stay."

"Like I said, he's _your_ dragon," Lotus said as he began to walk back towards the mountain. "I think I remember what happened to it now...I'll be right back!"

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Chao asked nervously. While no one had been to the Forbidden Zone in ages, it could still be dangerous, especially the mountains. He and Lotus were lucky that they'd made it as far as they had without any trouble.

"I'll be fine, it's close by! If I'm not back by morning, just leave me behind!" he called dramatically from the distance.

Chao sighed, turning back towards Siyu.

"I'm sorry about him. He can be really dumb and annoying sometimes...but he's still my friend...well, brother, actually. We've known each other since our mom adopted him a long time ago. But he doesn't like to call her his mom very much. He says he wants to go off and find his 'real' family one day."

He sniffled, but then gasped when Siyu let out a weak rumble in response—the only noise that he'd made all day! He moved slowly towards the reptile, placing a paw on its dry snout.

"Don't worry," he reassured the dragon gently. "We're going to get your staff back. We'll help you get better."

xxxx

Po couldn't believe it. First, he'd found out that the panda's name was Lotus, and then he'd discovered that Chao's mother had adopted the cub, much like when Mr. Ping had taken him in. The similarities were uncanny...it was like Lotus and Chao were _meant_ to find him in the cave on the day that he woke up.

He felt awful, his stomach queasy; Po wasn't sure why he had fallen ill, but he just couldn't get up from where he lay in the mud. Maybe it had something to do with sleeping for a thousand years, or the heartache that came with it. He had tried to get at least some sleep the night before, but failed miserably; it terrified him that if he fell asleep again, another thousand years would fly by.

But he was extremely grateful that he hadn't been alone once he'd woken. He'd asked Master Oogway for help, and help came in the form of Chao and Lotus. But Po knew that he shouldn't get too close to the cubs. Once he saved the world again, he would have to go back into hibernation for a second time. And then a third, fourth, and maybe even a fifth—the cycle was never going to end as long as the universe was still thriving.

It was going to happen over and over, and the thought made Po feel even worse; maybe it was the very idea of immortality that had made him sick in the first place. But then again—if he was immortal—how could he get sick? Po was too tired to keep on asking questions that were likely never to be answered, anyway.

But there was one question that he absolutely _needed_ to know the answer to: What had happened to the Valley of Peace and the Jade Palace? It was like they had never existed at all!

Using all the strength he had, he gave Chao a little nudge with his nose. Chao jumped but stayed in place, standing by the side of his head. Once he had the tiger's attention, he nodded at the emptiness that surrounded them on all sides.

"I guess...you want to know what happened after you went to sleep, huh?" Chao guessed, based on his gesture around the Valley. Chao knew that if he had been the one to fall asleep for a thousand years, then he would want to know what happened, as well.

"I don't know all the details," the cub began slowly, unsure whether his next words would make him upset. But upset or not, Po was ready to hear why his entire home had disappeared, leaving nothing but a desert of dirt. "There were a lot of bad guys attacking the Valley after you went to sleep. I don't know exactly what happened to my grandma or the Furious Five, but I do know that they broke up eventually."

It was all his fault. The Valley of Peace was gone because of _him._ With no Dragon Warrior protecting his home and the villagers, it was free game to anyone who had wanted to try and take over...or destroy.

Before his heart could be split in two, Chao's words really started to sink in. Wait a second... _grandma?!_ So the little guy really _was_ related to Tigress? A descendant? Tigress had actually had kids at some point?! Kids who had even more kids?! Po couldn't believe his ears. His heart dropped that she must have found someone else and fallen in love, but he was also happy that she'd kept her unspoken promise to him that she would live and move on. He had a hard time imagining her as a mother, but then again...not really, especially with how great she'd been to Lei Lei.

Po couldn't help but smile, albeit a sad one. There were so many what ifs and what could have beens...

"Oh...so you really _did_ know her?" Chao asked when he noticed Po's solemn expression that had turned into a smile.

He nodded faintly in response and Chao brightened in excitement.

"What was she like?" he wanted to know.

 _She was...everything,_ Po let out a lighthearted chuckle. _Smart, beautiful..._

Po pointed towards Chao with a claw. _She looked a lot like you._

Chao's yellow eyes widened. "Really?"

Po nodded once more in confirmation and Chao smiled brightly.

xxxx

Dragon and tiger sat together underneath the setting sky, watching as glimmers of stars managed to peek through the smog.

"He's not back yet..." Chao said in worry.

 _I'm sure he'll be back soon,_ Po comforted him by curling around his body tighter. _He's a tough kid._ The dragon gave him a soft nuzzle. _Thanks for staying with me..._

According to Chao, they were now in the Forbidden Zone of the Valley of Peace—the Forbidden Zone where the Jade Palace used to be and where he had first begun to hibernate. Po wondered if it was because of too many enemies attacking, or if it had simply been because of his thousand year rest that the area had been abandoned altogether, his friends and family wanting to keep him safe somehow. Either way, it tore Po apart inside and out to see his home that was once so lively be so frozen.

Continuing to stare up at the sky, Po had a sudden realization that it was like staring up at the past. The same stars had been there all those years ago when he had just been a panda, when everyone he loved was still with him—even his worst enemies.

Was Kai still in prison in the Spirit Realm after all this time? Unexpected empathy filtered through Po as he thought what it must have been like to just sit and rot away in the golden cell he'd created. He only had a faint idea as he had been asleep; time had gone by in the blink of an eye for him, while it must have dragged on and on for Kai.

Po found that he suddenly felt even worse than he already did, his stomach churning ungratefully at the thought. He contemplated going to the Spirit Realm once Lotus found his staff to release the evil warrior. Who knew—maybe he'd changed and finally learned his lesson.

The Dragon Warrior—or Siyu as the cubs now knew him—promised Chao that he'd stay awake for the rest of the night and keep an eye out for Lotus, though the tiger almost insisted that Po get some rest. But he gave in eventually, falling asleep in a ball on the top of Po's outstretched belly and rising up and down in tune to the dragon's breathing.

Po didn't have plans to fall asleep again anytime soon.

xxxx

Close to the Dragon Grotto, a dark and menacing figure chuckled as he held the Dragon Warrior's staff in one hand, and a struggling panda cub in the other.


	5. Chapter 5

Po's ears perked up. He'd heard something, and it was close by. He had been awake for awhile since Chao had gone to sleep, and everything had been peaceful and quiet as he kept an eye out for Lotus until now. The young panda still hadn't returned, and Po had been debating with himself whether or not he should go back to the Dragon Grotto. He couldn't leave Chao alone of course, so he would have been as gentle as possible in bringing him along atop his back, with the tiger still sound asleep.

Po's ears twitched again at another sound—it was like someone was ruffling about in the dirt. Had Lotus returned with his staff? Po listened closely, waiting for any more sounds that might make themselves known.

Then he heard a voice, and not just any voice.

"Immortality's not all it's cracked up to be, is it?"

A dark figure approached and Po's breath nearly left him when he saw who it was.

 _No..._

It was Kai, and he was holding his staff—and Lotus.

Kai was back yet _again._ As much as Po knew how bad the situation was, he couldn't help but feel relieved to see such a familiar face. The only downside was that Kai was not at all happy to see the Dragon Warrior—the one who had kept him imprisoned all this time. Had his shield deteriorated? Did Kai find some way to escape on his own? Whatever the reason, he was back—and he wasn't happy.

"You trapped me in that pathetic cell for a thousand years, and now I'm finally free," he said with an evil grin, gripping Po's staff tightly and keeping a firm hold on Lotus.

 _Took you long enough,_ Po thought, sending an evil glare right back. _I was thinking about releasing you..._

It was odd that Kai had returned around the time when he'd thought of releasing the spirit warrior. His evil glare faded. _We're in the same boat...I'm sorry._ He knew what it was like now, and he was sorry that he'd trapped Kai at the End of the Spirit Realm in an eternal prison cell. _I didn't mean to._ He hadn't known that he would eventually go to sleep for a thousand years. But then again, even if he _had_ known, Kai would have still been trapped; Po had imprisoned him for a reason, and Kai was only proving that point further by keeping Lotus hostage and stealing his staff.

Kai tightened his grip around the scruff of Lotus' neck and the panda whimpered, his struggles lessening; he knew that if he kept it up, there would be severe consequences.

 _Let him go,_ Po growled, gesturing towards Lotus. The little panda's hazel eyes were wide with fright as he looked back at Po, silently screaming for help.

He might be sorry, but Kai was still his enemy. Unfortunately, instead of sounding intimidating, it came out weak and non threatening. He eyed his staff and then Lotus, switching back and forth between the two. There was no telling what Kai's next actions would be, and the both of them were equally important—an innocent life and a staff that he needed to save the universe.

"Do you know what it's like to watch your entire life slip away? To be forced to stay in one spot for all eternity as you slowly go crazy?" Kai asked, ignoring Po's request.

 _...Yes. I do,_ Po responded in his mind, thinking of all the years that had gone by during his sleep. The only difference was that he hadn't been able to 'watch' his life slip away, and he hadn't gone crazy. At least, Po thought he hadn't. A thousand years really _was_ a lot to take in...maybe too much for him to handle.

"Didn't you know that you could have changed back into a panda? Stayed _awake?"_ Kai continued, smiling warmly at Po's shocked expression.

The dragon froze in place at Kai's words. _No, I couldn't have...Oogway said..._

"I know what you're thinking. Well, Oogway betrayed you. Just like he betrayed me."

 _He didn't betray either of us!_ It was Kai's own fault that Oogway had been forced to send him to the Spirit Realm in the first time, and for five hundred years. It wasn't true, it couldn't be true! Oogway had told him that he had to give up his Dragon Warrior title in order to change back into a panda, and he had the choice to either keep or surrender it.

Po gathered up all the strength he had left, rising from his fallen position in the dirt. Kai backed away, dragging Lotus along with him.

"I wouldn't come any closer if I were you," Kai snarled, pointing the staff in Lotus' direction.

Po gaped. Kai wouldn't hurt a child...would he? A memory of him taking control of little Bao crossed his frantic mind, when Kai had thrown him to the side after trying to help heal his arrow wound.

"Siyu?" a small voice piped up from Po's shoulders. "What's going on? Is Lotus back?"

"'Siyu?'" Kai chuckled, lifting his head up higher to get a better look at the tiger cub atop Po's back. His grin widened at the thought of another hostage he could use to his advantage, and a hostage that looked almost exactly like a certain someone that the Dragon Warrior had once known long ago; someone who had been very close to him. "So that's what the famous Dragon Warrior goes by, now? How cute."

Chao rubbed his eyes, blurry vision fading away to see that someone was standing in front of him and Siyu...and he had Lotus!

"Lotus!" he cried pitifully as his adopted brother attempted to squirm away once more; Kai only further tightened his grip, causing Lotus to cry out. "Who is he, Siyu? W—what's he doing?!"

"Master of Pain? Maker of Widows? Beast of Vengeance?" Kai tried. Chao shook his head in confusion.

 _Stay where you are,_ Po thought wildly, wrapping his tail protectively around Chao when the cub tried to make a break for it to help his brother. He struggled against Po's hold, but remained in place, eyes wide and fearful at the situation unfolding before them.

"Now you know what it feels like to be forgotten," Kai said dryly. "To be forgotten and alone."

"He's not alone...he has us," Chao said in defense, bravely giving the yak a scowl. He didn't like this guy already; Chao could see that he had gotten hold of Siyu's staff, and now his brother! What was going on? How did he know Siyu?

"Foolish boy," Kai snorted in amusement, "don't you know that he's only using you for his own selfish reasons? This little brat reminds him of his past life as a panda...and I bet _you_ remind him all too much of a certain...Little Kitten."

Chao's face fell. They might not have known Siyu for very long, but he knew that the Dragon Warrior would never use them like that. "That's not true! We helped him..."

Without warning, Kai threw another object down in front of Po. It was small, and orange and black...

Po's eyes widened at the sight of his most prized action figure. _Tigress!_

Before he could make a move, Kai raised the staff, pointing it towards the helpless dragon.

 _You're not going to take my Chi again!_

"Oh, I have no plans to steal your Chi, if that's what you're thinking. I wouldn't want to be stuck as a _dragon,_ of all things."

 _I'm not stuck,_ Po shot back, shaking his head. _I chose this._ At least, that was what he told himself. Was it all a lie?

"Don't you get it?" Kai said, taking a step forward and keeping the staff aimed directly at Po. "Oogway never needed you to protect the universe. All he needed was this little stick. Or better yet, why not his 'bigger' stick? The one he used to turn you into a dragon in the first place?"

"S—Staff," Lotus just barely managed to get out through his fear. Maybe he really _was_ the scaredy-cat, not Chao. He had no idea who this guy was, but apparently he knew Siyu somehow.

 _W—What's he talking about? How does he know all that?_ Po thought desperately. He had no idea what was going on. Master Oogway had told him that there was no possible way for him to change back if he still had his Dragon Warrior title in place. What was Kai implying? That Oogway himself had lied about him needing to hibernate and sleep his life away when the old master could have...

 _No,_ Po gasped, staring on in panic.

"I think you've finally figured it out," Kai snickered. "You were never needed when Oogway himself could have—"

Kai let out a sudden scream. Po glanced down to see that a certain little tiger cub had somehow managed to escape from his grip in his tail, and had bit down on Kai's arm—his arm which was holding the staff.

Po was nearly blinded as a glowing, golden light began to emerge from the end of the staff. He could make out that a dizzy Kai had dropped Lotus, and Chao had taken the opportunity to steal the staff back.

 _Chao, no!_

There was a blinding flash, and then there was nothing.


	6. Chapter 6

Po knew he should have used his powers to get Lotus away from Kai. All it would have taken was a simple, single command in his mind and the yak would have let go of the panda...and they wouldn't be in the Spirit Realm right now.

But Po knew that he could never have done that; he could never use his powers on a living being, not even Kai himself. Once was enough when he'd had to force the spirit warrior into his prison cell. Besides...he'd simply been too panicked and confused to think straight or even do such a thing, especially when Kai had claimed that Oogway had lied to him.

"Where are we?" a small voice asked in wonder. Po opened his eyes to double check and make sure that yes, they were in the Spirit Realm; the staff must have sent them here when Chao had grabbed it from Kai—it was still being held safely in the young tiger's paws. Why, Po wasn't sure, but he was thankful that it had sent them all to safety. Well, as safe as it could get. Still...he couldn't see Kai anywhere. Had he gotten left behind?

"I don't know," Chao responded to Lotus as they floated through the realm together in just as much wonder and confusion. The place was all so bright and colorful with yellows and greens, and there were even floating rocks and islands!

Po grinned to himself despite the situation. He'd just found out that Master Oogway, who he had always trusted and looked up to, had possibly been lying about hibernating for a thousand years. He knew that Kai was most likely trying to get under his skin, but Oogway _did_ work in mysterious ways that didn't always make sense.

Pushing the thought away and still grinning, Po also knew that he was able to communicate with anyone that was in the Spirit Realm through their minds.

 _This is the Spirit Realm,_ he tried sending to Lotus.

The panda's ears perked up sky high, and he looked about wildly every which way in search of the voice's source.

"What was that?!" he cried in a panic, his gaze landing on Chao. The tiger cub turned to face his brother, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"What was what?" he asked curiously, wondering why Lotus was so afraid. He followed his brother's frantic glances, but no one could be seen in the odd realm besides himself, Lotus and Siyu; the 'Master of Pain' as he had called himself, had supposedly gotten left behind...which was a good thing.

 _And he calls me a scaredy-cat._

"...You didn't hear it?" Lotus asked, eyes wide. Was he the one going crazy?

"I didn't hear anything," Chao confirmed, starting to worry for his brother. What was going on? Lotus was never as freaked out as he was now, and he usually never made up anything like this, either. Maybe to scare him, but never anything too serious.

 _It's me,_ Po tried again, floating towards Lotus to try and comfort the little panda.

"That! Did you hear it?!" Lotus cried, failing to put two and two together as Siyu gave him a little nuzzle.

Chao shook his head, frowning at his attempts to scare him. "If this is another one of your stupid pranks to scare me..."

"It's not, I swear!"

Po concentrated on Chao, imagining his thoughts flowing into the tiger's mind. _He's not trying to scare you._

"Ahh!" Chao jumped three feet higher than he already was in the air, eyes just as wide and ears just as perked. "Lotus, knock it off!"

"I'm not doing anything!" Lotus defended himself, using Siyu as a hiding place for any enemies that might be near—enemies like Kai. Was it some sort of magic? But magic didn't exist! Then again, dragons hadn't existed either before Siyu came along. "Something's trying to take over our minds!"

Po wondered if he was able to talk to two people at once. He'd only ever used it on one person at a time, like Tigress or Master Oogway. He concentrated on both Chao and Lotus, willing his words to be sent both ways.

 _I'm not trying to take over your minds._

Lotus attempted curling up into a ball to try and get the voice out of his head. Unfortunately, it was difficult when he was floating in midair.

Chao tried to be rational about the situation, though deep down he was panicking just as much as Lotus. If the panda had heard the voice at the same time as him, then that couldn't be where it was coming from—which meant that Lotus hadn't been lying when he'd said that he wasn't trying to scare him.

But the voice sounded friendly; it didn't sound mean or threatening like the bad guy that they had run into. It sounded warm and gentle and nice...the only other person in this strange place—or the Spirit Realm as the voice had called it—was Siyu. But that wasn't possible...was it?

"...Siyu?" Chao asked cautiously as the dragon continued to nuzzle his brother in a comforting motion. "Is that you?"

 _Yep,_ the dragon nodded with a grin. The word flew directly into Chao and Lotus' minds and their mouths hung open, shocked at the revelation.

"Woah!" Lotus exclaimed in just as much shock. "You can talk?!"

 _Only here in the Spirit Realm,_ Po explained. _I'm not really sure why._ He had never been sure why he couldn't speak as a dragon, now that he thought about it; maybe his vocal cords were just different than they were when he'd been a panda.

Lotus cowered in fright once more."So we're dead?!"

 _No! Anyone living can visit here and return to the mortal world. The staff can take you here and back._

"Woah, that's awesome!"

Po smiled at his excitement. But just as it had come, it slowly faded away.

Had Master Oogway really betrayed him by making him go to sleep for a thousand years? He knew that he couldn't just take Kai's word for it. He trusted Oogway more than words could say...but his trust was beginning to dwindle.

"Hey, Siyu," Chao said to get his attention, "what's Chi? I heard that guy talking about it...he said he didn't want to take it from you again."

Chi had been forgotten after all this time? Po was surprised. He had wanted to think that the art of Chi would have never been forgotten again after the pandas had re-learned it, but it turned out that he was wrong. Maybe Chi was just a very forgettable technique, which was unfortunate.

 _Chi is basically...you,_ Po said once he came up with a good enough explanation. Of course, Shifu probably could have explained it better. His teaching skills were rusty after a thousand years had gone by.

"Huh?" Lotus asked curiously.

"The energy of all living things," a new voice chimed in.

 _Master Oogway!_ Po exclaimed. The tortoise had found him again, just like he always did.

"It's good to see you once again...Siyu." Oogway gave him a little wink and Po couldn't help but smile; it was wonderful to see another familiar face, and someone who wouldn't attack him. He picked up the fact that Oogway had called him by his new name. Now that he was able to talk to Lotus and Chao, should he tell them that his name was actually Po?

He decided against it; they already knew him as Siyu, and he had already accepted that he was no longer Po.

"I must thank you two for helping the Dragon Warrior at the start of his awakening when I was unable to do so," Oogway told the two cubs with a gentle and friendly expression.

Chao and Lotus floated in place, unsure of what to think. On one hand, this was the great Master Oogway, the one who, like the Dragon Warrior, they had heard so many stories and legends about. He was real, too! On the other—based on what Kai had said—could they really trust him?

 _Master, please tell me the truth..._

To his surprise, Oogway answered right away; Po had expected him to stop and think about an excuse for what Kai had claimed.

"I cannot interfere with anything that involves the universe's fate, except push those involved in the right direction." He nodded lightly towards Chao and Lotus. They blinked, glancing at one another in shock.

Po nodded. He understood...Oogway was like a guide leading people to their destiny. He had led Chao and Lotus to the Dragon Grotto cave so that he wouldn't be alone upon waking.

"I am not bound as you are; like your dragon counterpart, your soul is also attached to the universe, granting you immortality to bring balance every thousand years. It is true that you could not have remained awake from the time when you first began your hibernation. It is also true that once you made the decision to keep your Dragon Warrior title, there was no way for you to change back to your original form unless it was through one's Chi, which would have been a very painful and dangerous transformation. This was permanently sealed when you made your decision final."

That made sense...kind of. Hardly anything Oogway said made sense. Po decided it was best to just go with it; he never should have doubted Oogway in the first place. How could he have ever let Kai get to him like that?

 _Immortality...I don't know if I can do this, Master. I'll never see any of them again...it hurts so much..._ Was everyone he had ever known in the Spirit Realm now? Maybe he could find them...

Po glanced down, unable to meet his master's gaze. He'd never asked to be the Dragon Warrior. It was his own stupid fault that he had made fireworks that sent him flying over the walls right in front of the tortoise, who in turn had taken his accident to be fate.

"Do not despair, Dragon Warrior, for they are always watching over you, always thinking about you. You will see them again one day...and her, as well."

 _Her?_ Po questioned. Did he mean Tigress? He was going to see her again? The thought almost took his breath away and his aching heart skipped a beat.

But when Po looked back up, Oogway was gone.

 _Wait!_ _What are we going to do about Kai...?_ his thoughts trailed off and his thinking pattern suddenly became muddled and hard to focus in on. His entire body gradually began to tremble, and the trembles turned into shakes...shakes that became more violent as he realized what was happening, and that there was nothing he could do to control it.

"Siyu...are you okay?" Chao asked tentatively. Lotus was waving his paw through the spot where Oogway had disappeared.

 _No, no, no! Not now!_ Po thought that after he'd made his choice of permanently becoming the Dragon Warrior, he wouldn't be taken over by the dragon again.

But he'd thought wrong. He remembered that the dragon didn't like to be taken away from the mortal world in a time where it was needed the most, and that meant...

He directed his next thoughts towards Chao the best that he could. _It's starting...you have to use the staff to get us back!_

"What's staring? How?!" Chao cried.

But Po wasn't able to send anymore words to the two frightened cubs, for staring back at them was a growling, wild dragon with black eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

"Wh—what do we do?" Lotus stammered as the growling dragon began moving slowly towards them. Siyu's bright, green eyes had completely vanished, leaving nothing but black in their place.

Chao shook his head frantically, searching for Oogway. But the tortoise had left them altogether...and had left them to face the snarling dragon alone. _So much for being trustworthy,_ Chao thought to himself.

What had happened to Siyu? He wasn't anything like he was before, and it was scary. Chao thought hard and fast, recalling what Siyu had told him before he'd changed into something completely unrecognizable.

He couldn't hear Siyu in his mind anymore, and Chao guessed that he wouldn't even be able to respond if he tried to snap him out of it. Something was wrong, and the last words Siyu had told him sounded urgent.

 _Use the staff,_ he'd said. But how? Chao didn't know anything about the thing besides the fact that it had some kind of transportation powers, based on when it had sent them here to the Spirit Realm.

"Chao, do something!" Lotus screeched in a whisper as the wild dragon crept closer.

"I don't know what to do!" Chao snapped back, heart pounding as he gripped the staff tightly as he could. _Come on, Chao,_ he told himself amid all his panic.

He waved it like a sword, pointing it forward in the hopes that it would send them back home, or at least back to the Forbidden Zone...but nothing happened.

 _Think, think, think!_ Chao urged himself quickly. The dragon was getting closer, and it wouldn't be long before their heads really _were_ eaten off despite the promise that Siyu had made.

 _Wait a minute..._ a light bulb switched on. _Think! Maybe all we have to do is think!_

"We have to think about the Forbidden Zone!" Chao explained to his brother in a rush. The panda blinked in confusion.

"What?" he questioned, keeping his eyes trained on the dragon. Whatever Chao was talking about, it better work!

"Think about going back to the Forbidden Zone!"

Lotus concentrated. He concentrated the best that he could with a massive dragon that was getting closer and closer every second. He concentrated until his brain started to hurt, and that was when he began to feel...weird. An odd kind of tingling sensation made its way throughout his entire body, like one of his legs had fallen asleep.

Peeking an eye open when the tingling faded, he found that yes...Chao was right! All they'd had to do was think about going back to the Forbidden Zone, and here they were again!

 _"That_ was severely cool," Lotus commented in shock, staring at the staff that Chao was holding with wide eyes.

"Uh...Lotus...look..." Chao said slowly, gazing up at the night sky; it appeared that they hadn't been in the Spirit Realm for long—not much time had passed.

Lotus followed his gaze, and his eyes grew wider at what he saw next.

Red clouds...just like in the story.

"The end of the world," Chao breathed in shock, his heart pounding harder than it ever had before. "So this part of the legend is true, too..."

"W—we have to get back home," Lotus cried. "Let's use the staff again."

"No," Chao countered, holding the staff even closer to his chest when Lotus attempted to grab it. He was surprised that his brother had managed to remember that it was a staff and not a stick. "He needs it."

Chao nodded towards the dragon. He could hardly believe that they had somehow managed to send it back along with them, as well. It was also staring up at the sky, growling at the red clouds that were billowing together. He glanced down at the staff and took a deep breath, moving towards the reptile bit by bit until he was standing directly in front of it.

The huge beast turned towards Chao, blinking as it eyed the staff being held in the cub's paws. Chao reached his arms out, and the dragon reached its head down to take it. The little cub did his best to stay still and not run off in a panic, holding his ground as his breath was nearly knocked out of him just from being close to something ten times bigger than him.

"...Siyu?" Was he okay? Chao couldn't tell as he searched the dragon's dark eyes for any sign of his new friend. The dragon growled lightly and took his staff gently from Chao's paws, soon after bounding into the sky.

"He can fly?!" Lotus exclaimed in surprise.

Chao just grinned, watching as the dragon disappeared into the red clouds above.

xxxx

 _I can't do this again,_ Po thought as the dragon kept its control over his body, soaring frantically through the clouds that were blocking his vision.

If he saved the universe once again, then he would only have to save it again. And again. And again and again and again. It would be a never ending cycle, one that he wouldn't be able to stop. He would have to wake up every thousand years, stop the world from ending, and then go back to sleep for another thousand years. The thought alone was enough to make him sick, and he wanted nothing more than to be able to go back in time to when he'd first made his decision to stay as the Dragon Warrior and stop himself from being so stupid.

 _I'm sorry, dad,_ he apologized to Mr. Ping. He was fully regretting the decision he had made now, and he'd promised his dad that he would never regret it.

He couldn't help it. He didn't want this...but he had no choice, just like when he'd had no choice but to choose to stay as the Dragon Warrior.

Were Lotus and Chao okay? Po had no idea; he'd left them to face the End alone down in the Forbidden Zone, and who knew where Kai had gone after they'd left him behind. The cubs were most likely anything but safe, and Po worried for their well-being; they'd done so much for him in the short time that they had known each other, and he was grateful for their companionship.

Still, Po continued to allow the dragon to do its job. The staff was held firmly but gently in his jaws, and it was collecting all of the lightning strikes that were beginning to occur. The lightning was being converted into Chi, and soon he would have to lend his own Chi in order for the process to be successful, a task that was tiring enough to send him into a deep sleep to recover all of that energy...a sleep that would last a thousand years.

 _I can't do this again,_ Po thought when his staff hiccuped and sputtered, a sign that it needed extra Chi. _His_ Chi—his Chi that would be spread all across the world in order to bring peace and balance once more. After the deed was done, there was no going back. He would have to go to sleep again. He would have to leave Chao and Lotus, and it would be just as hard as when he'd had to say goodbye to his family.

An idea came to him; the dragon was currently in control of his body, but not his mind. He could still think and see clearly as day, just like the time when he had seen the dragon push Tigress away from the lightning strike.

Maybe he could...no. Could he?

Maybe he could let the dragon completely take over—he could permanently become full dragon, and all the pain and sorrow would slip away like it had never even happened.

Master Oogway had told him that he would see his friends and family one day...Tigress included. But how long was that reunion going to last? Minutes? Seconds before he—once again—had to go back to sleep?

The dragon took a deep breath, readying itself to release a full blast of Chi. The first time, Po had to take control...but this time was different. He allowed the dragon to stay in control as it exhaled and released the extra Chi that the universe needed.

 _I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...but I can't keep doing this over and over...it's never going to end..._

His mind was getting fuzzy and unclear...memories were fading and the love and pain was slipping away...

He was so close to letting go...so close to becoming full dragon and losing who he was entirely.

It wasn't until Chao's panicked voice pierced his sensitive hearing and broke through to him did he completely and unwillingly regain control of himself.

 ** _"SIYU!"_**


	8. Chapter 8

The world was crumbling. It was splitting and cracking...and right underneath the feet of two little cubs.

"Lotus, run!" Chao screamed when the earth split right beneath him.

But Lotus was in too much of a shock to move or even think about running.

He fell. He fell into the crack, and it was all he could do to hope that it would be quick and painless.

His thoughts did nothing to calm him and he screamed as he fell, doing his best to grab onto the side of the crumpling wall—but he couldn't find anything to grab onto!

He was falling and there was no one to catch him except—

"I got you!" Chao exclaimed, letting out a heavy sigh of relief.

But his brother was heavy...and he was slipping.

"Hang on, Lotus," he encouraged, though he himself was having a lot of trouble hanging on; the panda looked small, but he was just so _heavy!_

"I can't hold on much longer! Just let me go!"

"Are you crazy?! Stop being so dramatic!" Chao cried. There was his brother, giving up on things too easily again—was he really willing to sacrifice himself like that?

Another surge of energy jolted the earth and Chao had no choice _but_ to let go.

He was falling. They were _both_ falling into the dark crevice and there was nothing they could do.

As a last resort, Chao screamed out the one name that he knew could possibly be of help.

 _ **"SIYU!"**_

But it was too late. They were already falling, and there was absolutely _nothing_ that they could do—not even Siyu could reach them in time! Chao shut his eyes and braced himself for impact at what would surely be the center of the earth...

But they never hit the ground.

Chao peeked one eye open, then two. He soon discovered that somehow...he and Lotus were floating in midair! But that was impossible...they were no longer in the Spirit Realm so they couldn't possibly be floating...right?

Then he felt himself being lifted. He glanced at his brother again and found that Lotus was being lifted, as well. They were both being lifted back onto the ground by some mysterious force, but Chao soon realized that it wasn't mysterious at all; it was Siyu!

He had heard his scream and came to save them!

Chao's feet touched the ground in a gentle motion and he collapsed onto his back when Siyu released him from what appeared to be some kind of mind controlling power. Lotus collapsed beside him and they both lay there, panting with wide eyes as they looked up at their rescuer.

Siyu's eyes were back to their normal green color. He wasn't trying to attack them as Chao had first thought to be the case when they were in the Spirit Realm. Glancing up at the night sky, Chao could also see that the red clouds were gone, and he noticed all too well that the shaking had stopped. Was the End of the World over?

The dragon rumbled quietly, bending his head down to nuzzle him softly.

 _Are you okay?_ Siyu asked in worry.

"Yeah...I'm okay...thank you," Chao gasped as he felt Siyu's words flow into his mind.

Siyu tilted his head to the side in confusion. _You can understand me?_

Chao blinked in surprise. "Yeah...why? Am I not supposed to?"

Siyu shook his head, shocked. _No, no, it's just...we're not in the Spirit Realm._

Neither Chao or Lotus had been able to hear him speak in their minds before when they _hadn't_ been in the Spirit Realm, and Po was confused as to why Chao was suddenly able to hear him in the mortal world...but he wasn't complaining. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was related to Tigress, and he had been able to communicate with her just before falling asleep...

"Cool," Chao said with an excited grin.

"What's cool? We almost _died!_ " Lotus yelled, breaking the two out of their newfound communication. "And who were you talking to?"

"I can still understand him," Chao said, gesturing towards Po.

 _Can you hear me?_ Po asked, sending his words to both cubs at the same time.

"Yeah," Chao responded, waiting to see if Lotus had heard the dragon as well. But Lotus didn't respond; his ears didn't even perk up.

Lotus only stared, worried for his brother's sanity. "You've lost it."

"He asked if you could hear him," Chao translated for the panda, ignoring the remark. Lotus shook his head and Chao grinned. So he was the only one who could hear Siyu now!

"Whatever," Lotus mumbled, kicking at the dirt. He would never admit it out loud, but Chao could tell that Lotus was just jealous of his new ability to talk to Siyu in the Mortal Realm.

xxxx

 _You saved my life,_ Po told Chao as the dragon, panda and tiger rested together underneath the dark, smoggy sky that was beginning to brighten. He was alert, keeping an eye and ear out for any signs that Kai was near. He had no idea what had happened to the evil spirit warrior, but he wasn't taking any chances. Kai could have run off...or he could have gotten trapped somewhere during the End, which was preferable. Either way, Po wasn't going to let him anywhere near his staff and the kids again.

"Huh?" Chao asked. It was more like Siyu had saved _theirs;_ Chao had called for help, and Siyu had come just in time before he and Lotus had both fallen to their deaths.

 _When I was up there...I thought about just letting go,_ Po began to explain.

"What do you mean?"

Po glanced down at a sleeping Lotus curled warmly against his chest. After all the three of them had been through that day and surviving the end of the world, Po wasn't surprised that the little panda had dozed off so quickly.

 _The dragon takes over my body as a warning that the End is going to start. It only has one job: save the universe. Anyone who is unfortunate enough to get in its way during such a time thinks that the dragon is after them...when it's really just trying to protect them. If we go to the Spirit Realm like we already have, it will definitely put up a fuss because it's really supposed to stay in the mortal world until the universe is saved._

Oh...so that was why Siyu had become so vicious.

 _I've never tried it before, but I thought that if I had just let the dragon fully take over my body **and** mind...that I still wouldn't die, but I would forget everything and everyone, and it wouldn't hurt anymore..._

"That what wouldn't hurt?" Chao questioned gently, snuggling closer against the reptile.

 _I miss them...I miss everyone I've ever known...they're all gone...it hurts so much...I'll never see them again...and I miss **her** the most._

"My great-great-great-great something grandma?"

Po nodded.

"...Did you like her?"

 _I..._

Po stopped, closing his eyes. Saying goodbye...his last three words to Tigress...it was just too painful for him to remember.

 _I can take you two home. Your mother is probably worried sick about you._

Po gestured towards his staff. While he didn't know where Chao and Lotus lived, they could picture themselves back home and the staff would take care of the rest. But to Po's surprise, Chao shook his head.

"We told her that we were going to sleep over at a friend's for a few days since school let out. If we're back by tomorrow afternoon, we should be okay."

Tomorrow afternoon...Po's heart dropped. He didn't exactly _have_ tomorrow. Just like his first time falling asleep, he could already feel the tiredness seeping into his body. His eyelids were growing heavy and it was starting to take a lot of effort just to talk to Chao.

 _Remember in the legend...when it said the Dragon Warrior had to go to sleep for a thousand years?_

Chao frowned; course he remembered. But then a horrible realization swept over him.

"No...no! You can't leave yet! You just woke up!"

Po sighed; he knew he never should have let himself get so attached to the kids. He made a silent promise to himself that the next time he woke up, he would keep to himself; he just couldn't handle the heartbreak anymore.

 _It's my job, Chao. It's what I'm destined to do for all eternity. I'm...I'm stuck like this_ — _I can never go back to being a panda._

"So if you change back into a panda...you won't have to go to sleep?"

 _No. I would lose my immortality and all of my powers; the universe would be in danger every thousand years unless another Dragon Warrior was found. I made the decision I made...because I was afraid the universe would never find another Dragon Warrior._

"What if we found a way to make the universe immortal?"

 _What?_

"Like you! You're immortal, right? So maybe we can find a way to make the universe _itself_ immortal! That way you never have to go to sleep again and we can find a way for you to change back into a panda, too!"

 _There's no time, Chao...it's happening already...I have to go back to the Dragon Grotto._

"What if we could help you change back?" a new voice cut in. Lotus had woken, and apparently he hadn't really been asleep like they had thought. He had been listening in the entire time...well, to what Chao had been saying, at least. "That turtle was saying that we could use Chi to change you back."

Po's tired eyes nearly bulged. Chao and Lotus hadn't even known what Chi was until today!

"That _tortoise_ also said that it's dangerous," Chao objected sternly, "we don't even know how to use it!"

But much to their surprise, a bright and golden glow slowly began to emerge from Lotus' paws.


	9. Chapter 9

Po and Chao stared.

And stared.

Until Chao was the one to finally break the silence.

"How are you doing that?!" he exclaimed in excitement, marveling at the small and golden ball floating above his brother's palm.

"I don't know," Lotus answered honestly, staring at the ball in equal amazement. "I just concentrated on that energy stuff Master Oogway was talking about, and my paw started glowing..." He continued staring at his paw in wonder at the golden light, grinning like there was no tomorrow. He lifted his paw a bit higher and to his shock, the golden ball followed his movements as though they were connected. "Siyu said that Chi is you...so I concentrated on me, if that makes any sense..."

 _I can't let him do it,_ Po immediately told Chao, his heart pounding. He couldn't believe it—Lotus already had control over his Chi! He had a long ways to go to completely master it, but he had a great start already. He supposed that it wasn't _too_ far out there that he already had a handle on it, considering the fact that little Lei Lei, Bao and the other pandas, including his fathers had managed to learn Chi at the last minute before his epic battle with Kai in the Spirit Realm. But the young panda _especially_ had a long ways to go before he could even think about transforming the Dragon Warrior himself from a dragon and back to his original form, something that Po would never in a million years allow him to do.

"Why?" Chao questioned in disappointment, watching Lotus as he practiced controlling the ball of Chi by bouncing it back and forth from one paw to the other. Didn't Siyu want to be changed back into a panda? Didn't he want to see his family again like Master Oogway had told him that he would?

 _It's too dangerous! He'd be using too much Chi!_

"Is that bad?"

 _Yeah!_ Po nearly shouted in his mind, causing Chao to flinch at the sudden rise in volume.

 _Sorry,_ Po apologized. He watched Lotus along with Chao, amazed at how it seemed like second nature to him already. But along with amazement came worry; he knew he had to explain why exactly it was so dangerous to use Chi to change him back.

 _Chi is your life-force,_ Po began.

Chao turned his attention towards him, all the while trying not to glance at Lotus and the floating ball every now and then. Siyu looked very tired, like he was about to fall asleep already. The universe had been saved again and all was well, so he was ready to go back to sleep...but something was keeping him awake. Maybe it was because Lotus had figured out how to use Chi, or maybe it was because Siyu wasn't inside of the Dragon Grotto yet. Whatever the reason, he was just barely forcing himself to stay awake.

 _It's what keeps you going. If you use too much, you could..._ Po closed his eyes at the memory of his death; of the time when he had gotten so sick after accidentally giving Kai his Chi that he could hardly move.

 _A thousand years ago, I had a fight with Kai in the Spirit Realm—it was my first time mastering Chi, and the first time that I took control of my inner dragon, creating one with my own Chi. Kai wanted my power really bad, so I gave it to him. My Chi along with the Chi of the other masters that he had taken—it was too much for him. He had a power overload._

"What happened to him after that?" Chao asked. Lotus glanced at him in curiosity; it looked as if his brother was talking to a ghost, when he knew that he was most likely talking to the dragon laying next to him. If he could master Chi this easily, then maybe all he had to do was concentrate in order to hear Siyu like Chao could, too. But he figured that it could wait another day. Chi was just too awesome to try and focus on anything else now!

 _He just...disappeared,_ Po answered, remembering the intense golden light as it had surrounded Kai. _He became the energy itself, I guess._ Po had never really thought about what might have become of Kai once he had been overpowered by his Chi. It was similar to when he'd defeated Tai Lung by using the Wuxi Finger Hold, but Kai had already been in the Spirit Realm...what would happen to someone after being Skadoosh'd in the spirit world? Was there yet another kind of afterlife? He knew full well what had happened, however.

 _But the fight didn't end there. After I returned to the mortal world, there was something wrong with my Chi. It wasn't working right whenever I tried to use it, and we soon found out that Kai had returned to the mortal world, as well...but with my powers; it turned out that I had accidentally given Kai my Chi, and he was twice as powerful as he was before._

 _My Chi disappeared altogether, and...and I went back to the Spirit Realm where Master Oogway turned me into a dragon—a real dragon—for the first time._

 _My point is that I used too much of my Chi. I gave it all to Kai by accident, and I got sick. Really sick. If Lotus does this, there's a big chance that the same could happen to him._

Chao was both intrigued and terrified by Siyu's story. On one hand, he'd just learned a huge chunk of the Dragon Warrior's past, much to his excitement. On the other, Chi really _did_ sound dangerous, and Chi was what they would have to use in order to change Siyu back into a panda—something that Master Oogway had strongly advised against.

"So what did he say?" Lotus asked. The golden ball of Chi had disappeared from his paws.

"We can't do it," Chao told him sternly. "It's too dangerous."

"Yeah, you already said that," Lotus countered impatiently. "But look! I can already do it!" The golden ball of light emerged once again from his paws, and it took Chao a big amount of willpower not to just knock it from his defiant brother's hands. "It's easy!"

"You can't just change a dragon into a panda! You'll use too much, and then you'll—"

A noise snapped all three back to attention. Po's ears twitched in response to the sound; it was like a twig had cracked, like when he'd first met Chao in the cave.

Po sniffed the air, trying to see if he could catch the yak's unpleasant scent—but there was nothing to be found except for new scents that he couldn't seem to place.

"Is it Kai?" Chao asked nervously. Lotus frowned at the mention of Kai's name, recalling when he had been kidnapped along with Siyu's staff.

"I'd like to see him try and get me again—" Lotus started, only to be cut off by his brother.

"Shhh!" Chao scolded in a whisper. Po shifted his position in the dirt, listening more intently. Now he was sure that he'd heard voices, and they weren't any voices that he was familiar with!

"Oh no...it's the Forbidden Zone Searchers! Kai probably brought them here..." Chao said frantically.

 _Who are they?_ Po questioned tiredly, his eyes finally beginning to droop beyond his control.

"They check the Forbidden Zone every now and then to see if someone broke in...like us. If they find us here, we'll be in huge trouble!" Chao explained.

"And if they find the Dragon Warrior, who _knows_ what they'd do to him?" Lotus added in just as much of a rush.

Chao watched in panic as Po did his best to stay awake. "They've never gone to the Dragon Grotto before because they were afraid that the legend was true, that there might be a dragon resting in the cave. But if someone shows any sign of weakness, even a dragon..."

 _I'm too tired...I won't be able to do much to protect you..._ Po barely managed to get out, his eyelids sliding shut.

"No, no! Don't close your eyes!" Chao shouted in a panicked whisper. The voices were getting closer!

"I know what I have to do," Lotus cut in with determination, staring down at his paws.

"Lotus...what are you doing?" Chao demanded.

Po's eyes widened in realization as he fought against the impossible urge to just fall asleep right then and there. He had to be in the Dragon Grotto, and he had to stop Lotus from doing what he was about to do!

 _No! He can't! He'll..._

But it was already starting. Lotus' own eyes were closed now, and Chao could only watch in horror as a golden glow reached out and attached itself to Siyu's body.

The Dragon Warrior felt a strong tug-like sensation; he knew then that it was too late, that Lotus was sacrificing his own panda spirit so that he could be changed back into his original form.

A sharp sting chased his tiredness away and he was suddenly wide awake, begging Lotus to _STOP_ even though he knew that the cub wasn't able to hear him like Chao could. Master Oogway had told him that his dragon spirit was too strongly attached to his soul to be removed with his Dragon Warrior title still in place. His panda spirit was long gone, having left a thousand years ago after making his decision final. He couldn't _possibly_ be able to change back into his original body, not even with the help of Lotus' Chi! But the panda continued, managing his Chi in ways that Po never thought possible.

He screeched in pain, standing up and shaking intensely as his body was twisted and turned, morphed this way and that inside of a bright, golden bubble. If Lotus didn't stop, they would both be killed—him from the stress of his transformation and Lotus from using far too much of his Chi. His entire body felt as though it were aflame, fire scorching every inch of his being.

After what felt like a thousand extra years, the pain gradually subsided and Po found himself lying on his back, staring up at the stars as his black and white chest rose and fell in a heavy motion.

Wait...black and white?

No...it wasn't possible! It couldn't be possible!

But lifting a claw, no...a _paw_ in front of his face, Po saw that it was. He also realized that he wasn't as tired as he had been previously.

His connection to the universe had been broken.

This wasn't supposed to happen! The universe was in danger now, and it was all because...

"Lotus! Lotus, wake up!" Po heard the frantic cries of Chao. Looking to the side, he could see the tiger shaking the little panda that was lying motionless on the ground.

Po gasped, struggling to his feet to make his way towards the cubs.

Chao whipped around to face him as though he were an enemy, and Po got the idea that Chao must have thought that he was one of the Forbidden Zone Searchers.

"It's me...it's Siyu..." he said calmly as he could, the words strange and foreign in his mouth...it had been so long since he'd last spoken, really _talked!_

Chao's tearful eyes widened in recognition and he rushed towards Po, grabbing the dragon-turned-panda in one of the strongest hugs that Po had ever felt. He knelt down to feel for any sign of movement.

Then tired, weak hazel eyes opened.

"I...I did it...?" Lotus asked as he stared up at Siyu. "I actually heard him talk..."

"Y—Yeah...you did..." Po confirmed, tears threatening to break loose.

Lotus turned his gaze towards Chao. The tiger choked on his own tears, not nearly as successful in holding them back.

"Chao...tell your mom...I'm sorry...for not calling her mom, too..."

Hazel eyes slid shut and everything seemed to stop.

"Lotus?! Lotus, no! No!" Chao screamed.

But it was no use.

Po wasn't tired anymore, but the shock of the transformation was too much for him. His vision blurred suddenly, the voices that they had heard becoming louder.

As an entirely new team of people surrounded the three of them with bright lanterns in hand and angry shouts were yelled, he knew only two things before darkness consumed him and he fell back to the ground.

Lotus was gone...

And he had been turned back into a panda.


	10. Chapter 10

The first thing Po noticed when he woke up was that he was in a cell.

A dark and cold cell, and he couldn't see more than two feet in front of him.

The second thing he noticed was that in the cell next to him, he could hear what sounded like sniffles and someone crying.

"Chao?" he asked quietly. The sniffles stopped for a moment and a gasp was heard.

"S—Siyu?"

"Yeah! I'm here," Po reassured the cub, "are you okay? Did they hurt you?" He decided that when whoever had captured them showed their faces, they would be sorry that they had ever messed with the Dragon Warrior and his friends. Wait...it was just _one_ friend now.

A memory of the night before swept through Po's mind and everything came back to him in a flash. He had been about to fall asleep, about to go into hibernation for another thousand years—when Lotus had done something that had cost the little panda his life.

The transformation...he was no longer a dragon now, but a panda—and it was all because Lotus had given up his own panda spirit so he could be changed back into his original form. Because of Lotus, he could stay awake to see another day and avoid going back into hibernation.

But Lotus was _gone_ and it was all because of _him..._

More sniffles were heard, pulling Po back into the present. Chao had never responded to his question of if he had been hurt, and it sounded like he wasn't planning on doing so anytime soon.

"I'm so sorry...if I'd had any idea what he was going to do...I would have stopped him if I hadn't been about to fall asleep!"

Still no response. Po didn't blame Chao if he was mad and never wanted to talk to him again, though he hoped that wasn't the case; Chao and Lotus had been his first friends in this new, scary and lonely timeline. If it hadn't been for the two of them, he would have woken up all alone without any company, and he would have had no idea what to do next.

 _What more could you possibly take from me?!_ Po screamed mentally at Master Oogway, fuming in absolute anger that his master had allowed Lotus to go through with what he had done. Why couldn't he have intervened then?!

One of the smallest voices that he had ever heard suddenly made itself known; a weak voice that had the power to snap Po's heart in half.

"...I want to go home," Chao sniffed through a hiccup.

Po could imagine him all alone in the other cell, curled up into a ball against the corner. _Me too,_ his mind couldn't help but respond, still unused to the fact that he was now able to communicate with actual words. He wanted to go back a thousand years so that none of this had ever happened, so he could see his friends and family again. He wanted to go home just like Chao, but he knew that it was never going to happen, and his aching heart throbbed in agony at the thought.

"I'll get us out of here, I promise..." was all he could say to try and comfort the cub who was just as trapped as he was.

There was another sniffle. "Siyu...is the world going to end now?"

"What?" Po questioned, startled.

"You're not a dragon anymore...does that mean you can't protect the universe now?"

"No way...not on my watch." Po's mind raced. Could he still protect the universe in the form that he was in now? Was he mortal again? How was he still alive if he was a thousand years old? If he died now, what would happen to the universe in the _next_ thousand years? Had his powers completely disappeared? He couldn't really test out that last one in pitch darkness. A thought crossed his mind that he should create a light with his Chi, but then another thought came to mind that he probably shouldn't practice Chi around Chao for the time being, not since Lotus had sacrificed himself by using his own Chi to change him back.

He was back to normal, yet he felt so different...black and white fur had replaced his golden scales. It was still weird to truly be talking, to not have to use his mind to communicate—at least with Chao, the only one able to hear his thoughts. The child was still crying and it broke Po's heart; he of all people knew what it was like to lose someone close to you.

Po figured that he should start getting used to actually speaking, so he thought of something that he could say to Chao to comfort the little cub and cheer him up a bit. But what could you say to someone who had just lost their best friend...their _brother?_

"My birth name was Lotus..." he finally decided to break the deafening silence.

"...Really?" Chao replied in a beat.

"Yep. I was adopted just like your brother too, but by a goose...maybe that's why he was able to change me back...because we had so many similarities..."

"...What's your real name?"

Po froze. "My real name?"

"My mom kept his original name...but did you have another name after Lotus...?"

Po remained silent, wondering whether he should tell Chao the truth. He and Lotus had given him the name Siyu after all, and he didn't want to hurt his feelings or try to change a name that his brother had helped him come up with. Though he had accepted that he was no longer Po, he knew deep down that he was still...

"Po. My real name is Po...but you can still call me Siyu, if you want to...I mean, I'm kinda used to it by now..."

Silence. But then...

"I like Po better..." Chao whispered.

Po smiled through the darkness. For the first time in a long time...he was starting to feel more like himself again; he could only hope that they were going to be able to get out of this mess.

He wasn't a dragon anymore. The universe—though it wouldn't happen again for another thousand years—was in danger every second that he was still mortal. If something happened to him now, then what would happen to the universe in the future? Chao had suggested that they could try to make the world itself immortal...but how exactly were they going to do _that?_ There were so many questions and not enough answers!

"They took my bag with the panda toy in it...and your staff," Chao said quietly, breaking him out of his thoughts once more.

"Oh, they are so going down..." Po murmured. Chao let out a small giggle, catching him off guard, though he was glad that he had helped him feel at least a little better.

The sound of footsteps instantly brought Po to attention.

Someone was coming, and he had a bad feeling that it wasn't Kai.


	11. Chapter 11

"Now...I'd like you to tell me what you two were doing out in the Forbidden Zone; it's forbidden after all, and no one is _ever_ permitted to go inside."

Po had never thought what might have been _outside_ of the Forbidden Zone—what was it like? Was China the same as it was before? Different? Po knew that it was most likely the latter. He wondered how advanced things had gotten over the years; it seemed that—inside of the Forbidden Zone, at least—that simple, modern things like lanterns were still used.

But that wasn't important right now. The most important thing was that he and Chao had to break out of this prison somehow, and he wasn't having any luck in talking to the guard standing in front of his cell that somewhat reminded him of Tai Lung, only he was a white tiger—a white tiger carrying a bright, orange-glowing lantern like the ones the other Forbidden Zone Searchers had been holding.

"Hey buddy, I'm the Dragon Warrior—"

"Right, and I'm king of the world. I had no idea that people actually still believed in that old fairy tale."

"I think you mean legend," Po pointed out. _I'm not a fairy tale!_ "I really am the Dragon Warrior!"

"I only see a panda, not a dragon," the white tiger chuckled. "Now go on, tell me what you were doing out in the Forbidden Zone and I may just let the two of you go."

 _I woke up after a thousand years, met the only two friends I've had, ran into the Beast of Vengeance who escaped my eternal prison, saved the world and got turned back into a panda._

"We were, uhh..." Po thought hard, trying to come up with a more reasonable explanation. Maybe if he could make it come across as just a big misunderstanding, they would be free to go.

"Look, I was babysitting." _Babysitting. Really?_ Well, it would explain why Chao was with him. "Yeah, that's it! I was babysitting and this little troublemaker sorta wandered away from me and I had to go after him..."

Chao couldn't help but scowl at his explanation. He didn't need a babysitter!

"Reaaallly?" The white tiger replied in an obnoxious tone that made Po want to scream. "How do you explain that incident when everything was falling apart?"

Po stared. "You think that had to do with us?" How could a panda and a tiger have anything to do with the end of the world? Well, Po knew that he _himself_ had a lot to do with the end of the world, but the prison guard didn't need to know that—he had to keep up his act that he had no idea why the ground had split in half.

"Not exactly, but you two were here when it all started. You could have some valuable information that we might need."

"The ground started shaking and everything was falling apart, what else is there to know?" _That I was the one who saved you and everyone else on this planet!_

"That doesn't explain why the clouds were red," he countered. "Why the earth began splitting apart."

"It's true!" Chao suddenly piped up. He knew that if the guard found out that Po really _was_ the Dragon Warrior, they would be in even more trouble. But he just couldn't stand it when no one ever believed their side of the story! "He's the Dragon Warrior! The world was ending and he saved us!"

The older tiger scoffed; it was clear that he still didn't believe them. "Ah, no one believes that old 'legend' anymore. But if what you're saying is true, and you really _are_ the Dragon Warrior, well then...you're just too valuable to give up, aren't you?"

 _Great,_ Po thought as the guard leaned towards Chao. The little cub cowered, shrinking back into the shadows of his cell. Po frowned, refraining from attempting to grab the guard through the bars of his cell.

"Keep me here if you want, but give him the staff and his bag back and let him go!" Po begged.

"What?" Chao asked quickly, eyes wide as the panda pleaded for his release. He couldn't go out into the Forbidden Zone by himself! It had been different when he was with his brother— _that_ wasn't alone.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow that," the white tiger responded; it didn't sound like he was sorry. He had a job to do, and it looked like he wasn't about to risk losing it just to let one cub go. "Both of you were caught in the Forbidden Zone and that's a very serious offense."

"He just lost his _brother!"_ Po shouted when the guard began to leave in the other direction. Tears nearly sprang to Chao's eyes again at the mention of Lotus, but he forced himself to keep it together.

The guard stopped short. Po was afraid that he would keep walking, but to his surprise...he turned back around.

"He just lost his brother," Po repeated slowly. "There was an accident during the quake and...and he didn't make it. You have to let us go." Po didn't like using Lotus as an excuse, but he had no choice; it was their only shot at getting out if the white tiger had any sort of sympathy.

"I can let _him_ go," the guard finally said with a sigh, motioning towards Chao. "I know what it's like to lose someone close to you and how hard it can be...and a prison is no place to cope...but I'm afraid you'll have to stay here." Apparently he had no qualms about letting a child go out into the Forbidden Zone alone, or he just didn't care what could happen after the fact.

Po nodded in understanding, but Chao shook his head rapidly. "I'm not leaving without you!" he protested once he was free from his cell.

"Can we have a moment alone?" Po asked. The guard nodded reluctantly, stepping away from the two but still keeping an eye on the both of them.

"I can't go out there by myself," Chao said, tears managing to escape down his cheeks. He'd just lost his brother and now he was going to lose a friend, too? Who knew what would happen to Po if he left him here!

"Remember how you said we could try and make the universe immortal?" Po whispered.

Chao blinked. "Yeah," he said through his sobs.

Po grinned. "I think I have a plan."

Chao blinked again, confused at first. But then he grinned back.

"We have to break out of here first, and I can't do that if _you_ don't get out of here. You need to get your bag and the staff. If you do that, then we can _both_ get out of here, if you know what I mean..."

Chao's eyes widened as he finally realized what Po meant. He nodded—he could get the staff and use it to break Po out of his cell!

"Okay...okay, I'll go," Chao finally agreed.

Po gave him a comforting smile. "I know you can do this," he encouraged the cub.

It was wrong to place such a huge expectation on him and he knew it. Chao had just lost his brother and was still trying to process that fact, ridden with grief. But this was their only chance—the guard was kind enough to let Chao go—an innocent child—and if he could pull off their escape plan, then they could focus on making the universe immortal.

Po's bruised and battered heart soared with hope as he watched Chao leave with the white tiger. Maybe if his plan for the universe was accomplished, he could finally see his friends and family again...and Tigress most of all.


	12. Chapter 12

Chao followed the white tiger towards the main part of the prison. He looked up at him with nervous eyes, but the guard simply ignored the smaller tiger trailing reluctantly by his side.

"...What's your name?" Chao asked once he finally worked up the courage. It was like finally learning Siyu's real name: Po. It was strange to know now that Siyu had once had a birth name—Lotus of all names—and a second name after Lotus: _Po._ He'd said that he was used to the name Siyu by now, but Chao knew better. He really _did_ like the name Po, but it was going to take some time getting used to, just like when he and Lotus had first named Po 'Siyu.'

The older tiger remained silent, continuously ignoring Chao and staring straight ahead as they continued walking down a dark corridor.

Chao glanced at the cells that were lined up left and right; they were empty, and it seemed like no one had occupied them for a long time. He was relieved and nervous at the same time—relieved because there wasn't anyone else that he and Po had to worry about, but nervous because it meant that they were probably the only ones—besides the guards—currently in the prison. Hardly anyone went into the Forbidden Zone after all, and if anyone had, they were most likely long gone by now, and it left Chao very unsettled that if he wasn't successful in getting Po out, the Dragon Warrior would meet the same fate.

"...It's Deshi," the guard finally replied after a long stretch of silence. "Keep moving, squirt."

Chao frowned at the guard's new nickname for him, but he knew better than to say anything about it. 'Squirt' somehow reminded him of all the times that Lotus had called him scaredy-cat, and a lump formed in his throat as he tried to hold back tears. He'd sobbed and sobbed all while he had been waiting for Siyu—wait, not Siyu— _Po_ to wake up, and he didn't need 'Deshi' to see him cry.

It didn't help when he brought up Lotus of his own accord.

"I'm sorry about your brother," Deshi told him softly.

A few tears managed to escape, sliding down and leaving a wet feeling on his cheeks. He had no idea that the Forbidden Zone Searchers were capable of being nice; all he'd heard were stories of how they captured those who got into the Forbidden Zone and then kept them trapped where no one could find them ever again. He had no idea how the stories had first originated if no one was able to tell their story, but he guessed that people—especially parents like his mom—had made up the stories to stop their children from sneaking into the Forbidden Zone just like he and Lotus had. But they were actually true! He shuddered at the thought that the same thing could have happened to him, and what could happen to Po if he didn't find the staff.

"...Where's my bag?" he asked to avoid any suspicion that he was going to try and steal the staff back, and especially to avoid the subject of Lotus; it hurt too much for him to even talk about his brother.

"Just wait here."

Chao waited. The guard came back with his bag in hand, and he breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Now come on and I'll get you out of here before anyone sees us breaking the rules," Deshi said.

Chao obeyed and continued to follow the white tiger, strapping his bag around his waist.

He followed Deshi until he started hearing voices coming from another end of the prison. Eyes widening, he looked up towards his escort and slowed his pace until Deshi was further ahead. He diverted, creeping along the empty and dark prison halls until he found himself in another room where three other guards were talking among each other. They looked big, strong and not as forgiving as Deshi with dark eyes. Chao contemplated turning back around and running back to Po...

When something caught his eye.

The staff was propped up against a dull and gray wall, and if he was quiet, he could grab it without anyone noticing.

"We might have a crazy on our hands. Panda thinks he's the Dragon Warrior," one guard said with a gruff tone.

"The Dragon Warrior? I tell that story to my kids all the time," another replied.

"Wouldn't that make him a thousand years old?" the third guard asked.

"Well, he's looking good for a thousand years old," the first guard chuckled.

"Why was there a kid with him?"

Good, they were distracted. It wasn't good that they thought Po was crazy; but at least Chao knew the truth. No matter how much he wanted to defend Po, he knew he had to concentrate before they noticed what he was doing. He crept slowly and quietly as he could along the wall until he was close enough to the staff.

Taking a deep breath, Chao placed his paws around it. He did his best to clear his mind from the grief that he was experiencing from the loss of Lotus—his brother, his best friend. It was hard, but he knew that it was only temporary until he and Po were safe.

"Hey, it's the kid!" a surprised shout nearly caused Chao to drop the staff. He couldn't run—they were too close and would instantly catch up to him.

"What's he doing?" one of the guards demanded.

"What are you doing?" Another echoed that was _too_ close for comfort.

Chao closed his eyes with running not an option, ignoring their questions.

 _Prison cell, prison cell, prison cell,_ he thought quickly as he could, imagining Po inside of his cell. His body began to feel the same tingling sensation that he had felt when he and Lotus had managed to transport themselves back to the mortal world before the dragon could attack them.

"He's gone!" Chao heard one of the guards yell before they could try to grab him. He grinned to himself when he found that _yes,_ he was back with Po! The Dragon Warrior grinned back, ecstatic that Chao had actually pulled it off.

"I knew you could do it!" Po cheered, relieved that his staff appeared to be working; he'd been afraid that along with his own powers, the staff would no longer work since turning back into a panda. "Now let's get out of here!"

"Are we going back to the Forbidden Zone?" Chao asked just to be sure. To his surprise, Po shook his head.

"Think about home," he told him gently, placing his paws on the staff along with Chao's.

Chao smiled and grimaced all at once; he was _so_ going to be grounded forever when his mom found out that he hadn't really been sleeping over at a friend's, and what he'd _really_ done...

And Lotus. They were going to have to explain...Chao nearly choked on tears, but he knew that he had to concentrate all his energy on his home; Po had no idea what it looked like, and so he was going to have to do the thinking all on his own.

Distant shouts could be heard, but they were getting closer. The white tiger was first to reach their cell, having noticed that Chao was gone long before the others.

"Stop!" Deshi shouted, angry that the cub had betrayed his trust. But Po and Chao had no plans to stop.

"There's a difference between legends and fairy tales," the Dragon Warrior said when the tiger approached their cell.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" He sneered.

"Legends are real," Po said with a wide, knowing grin.

Deshi's eyes widened in shock when the panda winked, then disappeared from the cell along with the staff and cub.


	13. Chapter 13

"Are we there yet?" Po asked. His eyes were squeezed shut, afraid to open. He had no idea what to expect; he and Chao were outside of the Forbidden Zone now, and he was about to see what China looked like after all the time that he had been asleep. A thousand years...it was so much to take in. Who knew how far things had progressed and advanced? He felt like a fish out of water.

"We're here," Chao said, releasing his paws from Po's staff. The panda still had his eyes shut, and it looked like he wasn't about to open them anytime soon.

"Come on, it's okay," Chao encouraged, even though he knew that it wasn't _really_ okay. He was thinking of how to tell his mother that Lotus was gone, and he was never coming back.

Po sighed, opening one eye; he thought he could see a house. Opening another eye, he found that he was right—it was just the normal front yard of a house with grass and bushes that lined the edges, and a walkway that led to the front door.

"This is where you live?" he asked tentatively. Chao nodded and gave him a small smile, motioning for him to follow.

Po obliged and trailed behind the cub. Chao reached into his bag, pulling out a silver key that he could use to open the front door. No _wonder_ his bag had been so important! Besides the panda toy, he'd had the key to his house all that time. If he'd lost it, he wouldn't have been able to get back in. Po figured that it must have been a spare key, and Chao and Lotus had planned to take it before going to the Forbidden Zone.

The first thing that Po noticed when they walked inside was something soft under his feet, and a black box in the brightly lit room; the weird thing was that Po couldn't see any lanterns that were lighting the place up.

"What's that?" he questioned curiously, pointing towards the box.

Chao tilted his head to the side. "The TV?"

"...What's a TV?" Po wondered aloud, staring at the box and moving slowly towards it. Chao realized that since the Dragon Warrior had come from a very distant time, he must not understand any of the futuristic devices that came with falling asleep for a thousand years.

"It's a box that plays images and stuff!" He explained. "Well, it's supposed to, but it doesn't really work yet. It just plays static, like this."

Chao pushed a button on the box. The TV flickered to life, but a strange and high buzzing sound was all that could be heard.

Po's eyes widened. He'd never seen such a thing before! "Woah, that is _awesome!_ Where does the static come from?"

Chao gave him a confused glance, but then he shrugged. "Electricity. It's kind of like Chi, I guess...it powers things like our house."

A voice could suddenly be heard over the static, and Chao immediately sprang into action.

"You gotta hide!" he said frantically, pushing Po down behind a cushion in the open room.

"Why do I have to hide?" Po questioned, nevertheless obeying and getting down to where he couldn't be seen.

But it was too late.

The sound of the static must have alerted her, because Chao's mother rushed into the room.

"Who are you?" she demanded when she caught sight of Po. "Did my son let you in here?"

"He's the Dragon Warrior, mom!" Chao exclaimed, running up to her in a frenzy and throwing his arms around her in a tight hug. His mother, unfortunately, wasn't having any of it. She was an orange tiger like Chao with black stripes and bright, blue eyes. She wore a green robe that somewhat reminded Po of Shifu's green robe when he had decided to get a change of clothing.

"Chao, where have you been?! I called Fai's house, but he said you and Lotus weren't there for the last three days!"

 _Called?_ Po wondered. Was that some kind of messenger? He guessed that Fai was the friend that Chao had been talking about.

"We went to the Forbidden Zone and found the Dragon Warrior!" Chao urged, glancing back at Po. His mother knelt down to his level, checking for any scratches or bruises. With all they had been through, Po wouldn't be surprised if she did find any.

"Have you gotten too caught up in that story, again? Where's your brother?"

"It's not a story! He really _is_ the Dragon Warrior!" Chao argued firmly.

Po decided that now was a good time to intervene.

He relaxed and concentrated, willing his Chi to make itself known. His paw glowed a bright gold, and the lights that kept the house powered suddenly went out and everything went dark, almost like they were back in the prison. His Chi glowed brighter than ever before, illuminating the older tiger's wide eyes at the unusual spectacle before her; it was obvious that like Chao, she had no idea what Chi was. Po just couldn't believe that the art had been completely forgotten again.

The power flashed back on, causing Po to jump slightly. Lanterns never did that!

"You...you really _are_ the Dragon Warrior..." she murmured in shock.

Po nodded and she frowned, turning to Chao. "I must speak with him alone."

Chao understood, nodding and running down a hallway.

"Where's Lotus?" she questioned once he was out of sight.

Po's expression turned grim. He glanced down, and he knew that _she_ knew just by his simple glance to the floor.

"What happened...?" she said softly, blue eyes staring ahead in shock.

"Remember how the legend said that he was a dragon at first?"

She nodded slowly; of _course_ she remembered. She told the story to her kids all the time, and now a true, living legend was standing in front of her! He continued.

"Lotus figured out how to use the glowy stuff called Chi that I was just using. We were going to be caught by the Forbidden Zone Searchers and I was about to fall asleep because I'd just used up all my energy to save the world...he wanted to help me turn back into a panda, and if you use too much Chi, well..."

She nearly fell down into a chair next to a table, but Po managed to catch her and make sure that she didn't fall over.

"He's...he's...?" Her gentle blue eyes misted over in tears.

"I'm so sorry," was all Po could say. But he _had_ to say something more...he couldn't just leave her hanging.

"What Lotus did...I tried to stop him, but I couldn't. If I could take it all back, I would. I would go back in time and stop him from changing me back into what I am now. But what he did was also incredible...Chi can be very difficult to perfect. My master could hardly make a flower bloom when he first started out, but Lotus changed a _dragon_ back into a panda. I'm forever grateful that he managed to give me my original body back when I thought it was gone for good, and I'll never be able to repay him...but I'll never forget him."

She gave him a forlorn but gentle smile, nodding slightly.

"You're welcome to stay."

"No, I couldn't..."

"You need to," she insisted, "my son needs you right now. He needs both of us."

"I want to, but I can't," Po explained sorrowfully. He wanted to stay and help Chao and his mother, he really did...but he just couldn't stay. "I have to leave by morning...when I was changed back, I lost my immortality. If something happens to me now, the universe will be in danger in the future. I can't let that happen."

"I felt the shakes..." she murmured quietly. "I didn't think it had anything to do with the legend of the Dragon Warrior." She sighed, resting her head in her palm with her elbow propped onto the table. "You may stay for the night, then. I take it that you have a plan?"

He nodded, knowing that it was probably a good time to introduce himself.

"I'm Po," he said, bowing.

Chao's mother bowed in return.

"Meili."

xxxx

"Hey, Chao?" Po asked.

The tiger cub blinked at him. The two of them were currently in Chao's room. There was a window that looked out over the city of China, and it was getting darker by the minute. Po was resting on the floor in what Chao had called a 'sleeping bag' that he could barely fit in, but was still comfortable. Meili had insisted that he should at least take the couch in the family room, but Po had insisted even more strongly that the floor was fine. He was close by the window, and he loved to look out and see all the other homes and buildings that were lined next to each other, even though it still made him nervous.

He sighed; it wasn't _anything_ like before, especially with that dark smoggy stuff in the sky that seemed to follow them everywhere they went.

"What year is it?" he finished his question.

Chao blinked again, shuffling in his bed; it was a different bed compared to the ones way back when—it looked a lot more comfy with covers that you could snuggle under. Then Chao gave a hesitant answer, like he was afraid how Po would react.

"2016."

His stomach dropped uneasily. Entire lifetimes had passed him by...his _own_ life had passed him by. This was never supposed to have happened, but it had. He'd made the decision to stay as the Dragon Warrior, and now he was facing the consequences. They were harsh and unforgiving, and Po searched for someone to blame—Master Oogway came to mind, first. But he knew that he couldn't blame it all on his master, not even Lotus' death; the little panda had made his own choice, and he had to face the consequences just like the Dragon Warrior. It was only Master Oogway's job to nudge them in the right direction, and Lotus had felt that nudge strongly enough to act on it.

Po looked out of the window, awe overcoming his sorrow as he stared at all the bright lights that were laid out before him.

TV? Electricity?

All he could think was...woah. Things really _had_ progressed over the years.

But he told himself not to get used to any of it. He was going to leave first thing in the morning to set out on his plan to make the universe immortal; he couldn't get too comfy. He could feel inside of him that something was wrong, like when he'd lost his Chi all those years ago and became deathly ill; he guessed that it had something to do with being a thousand years old, and he was afraid that he wouldn't last much longer in this time at his unnatural age.

He needed to set his plan into action, and soon.

"Do you really have a plan to make the universe immortal?" Chao whispered as he began to doze off to sleep.

Po grinned and snuggled deeper into his sleeping bag. "You bet I do."

And he needed to find Kai to pull it off.


	14. Chapter 14

Po woke up, finding himself back in Chao's room inside of his sleeping bag. He had just woken from a pleasant dream; he was with everyone he had ever known...with his dads...with _Tigress_...back in his original time.

But it was just a dream; it hadn't been _real._ It was _never_ going to be real if he didn't do his job.

He had to get going, and he had to go _now_ while it was still dark.

Slowly, he wriggled out of his sleeping bag, being careful not to make any noises that would surely wake up Chao. The little cub was still sleeping soundly and if he was quiet, Po knew that he could easily sneak out and avoid having to say a heartbreaking goodbye. He grabbed his staff that had been resting peacefully beside him and began to make his way towards Chao's bedroom door.

"You're leaving?" a tiny voice whispered.

Po stopped short. He turned, and he could see that Chao's yellow eyes were wide open; Po realized that he must not have been truly asleep after all. So much for avoiding that heartbreaking goodbye...

Po moved back so that he was closer to Chao's bed. He knelt down to the cub's level, a wave of regret and sorrow hitting him.

"I can't stay," he whispered softly.

Chao stared back at him with a deep kind of intensity, like he was trying to use mind powers in order to stop him from going. "I know...but I don't want you to go...I'll be all alone..."

Po realized that for the first time, Chao was going to be without his brother for the rest of the night. He wanted to stay, he really did. He didn't want to leave Chao alone to face the loss of his brother by himself with only his mother to help...but he _had_ to go.

"I'm sorry...but I have to go," he said grimly. "You won't be alone...you have your mom..."

"Are you going to come back?"

 _Promise you'll come back,_ Tigress's words echoed from the past. Po had to do a double take; Chao was _so_ much like his great-great-great-something grandma...he was losing Tigress all over again...

He _had_ come back, but then he'd had to leave after deciding to stay as the Dragon Warrior. He couldn't make any promises that he couldn't keep.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I don't know what's going to happen, if what I have planned is going to work or not, or if something's going to happen to me."

Chao squeezed his eyes shut. He knew that after tonight, he was most likely never going to see the Dragon Warrior ever again. He'd just experienced the greatest adventure ever, the most exciting thing that had ever happened to him...and now he was leaving.

"I'll miss you...Siyu," he said softly.

And without warning, he pulled the Dragon Warrior into a tight hug, a hug that he wished would never end.

"I'm gonna miss you too, buddy..." Po choked, returning the hug with just as much force and blinking back fresh tears that were attempting to make a break for it.

They parted, and Chao reached for his bag that he'd placed on the nightstand next to his bed. He brought out the panda toy, and Po's eyes widened at the sight.

"This belongs to you," Chao said, stretching his arm forward so that Po could take the toy.

Po reached out his own arm and Chao gently handed the panda to him. He smiled widely, squeezing the toy in the palm of his hand. Chao smiled in return, nodded, and then rolled over onto his side so he could drift off back to sleep.

xxxx

If Chao had his own room, then Lotus must have had his own, too. Po crept down the hallway, tip-toeing and trying his best not to make any creaks. A thousand years later and it seemed that the floors were still made of wood that he could easily break and fall into. He didn't have to go very far, though; it turned out that Lotus' room was right next to Chao's, and Po could feel his heart snapping in half.

Taking a deep breath, he entered.

It was ghostly quiet and still. Blinking back tears, Po placed his precious panda toy on the empty bed atop a pillow. Closing his eyes, he willed forth his Chi once more, placing a paw on the panda. The worn and torn toy glowed a bright gold and sat upright as if on its own, the rips and tears fixing themselves until it looked as good as new; with the help of his Chi, it would be able to last for another thousand years...if not, then all eternity.

It would always be safe no matter where the tendrils of time led it.

"Thank you," he whispered gratefully to the empty room. If Lotus hadn't done what he did, Po knew that he would still be stuck as a dragon; it was a good thing that he'd been changed back before going to their house. Meili might have had a fainting spell, and he would have been too big to fit inside!

He gave a respectful bow before creeping out of the room, staff still in hand. He wrapped his paws around it once he was back in the hallway, closing his eyes.

 _Take me to Kai,_ he concentrated, visualizing the yak in his mind.

The familiar tingling sensation made its way up his body, and he felt himself fade.

xxxx

He was back in the Forbidden Zone. The staff had brought him here again to find Kai, but the Master of Pain was nowhere to be found. Po could only hope that none of the Forbidden Zone Searchers were out and about looking for any rule breakers.

"I know you're here," he said, circling the area cautiously left and right. He was completely defenseless besides his staff, and who knew where his nemesis was currently hiding! Po had thought that Kai had most likely gone and left the Forbidden Zone after the End was over, too cowardly to try and put up a fight without possessing any Chi or having his stolen staff in hand for protection...but no, he was still here. He'd probably laughed as they had been captured by the Searchers.

"So it seems that you've been turned back into a stupid panda," a deep voice revealed itself.

Po jumped on the spot, turning quickly to find himself face-to-face with...the Maker of Widows himself who had emerged from the shadows.

"Kai," was all Po could say, pointing his staff outwards just in case with a hardened stare to show that he was ready to fight if need be. The Beast of Vengeance only laughed.

"What are you going to do with that? Make me explode into nothingness again? It didn't exactly work the first time, and all you had was your Chi back then when you so carelessly decided to hand it over."

"I can't believe I'm saying this...but I need your help," Po tried to say in a non-pleading type of tone; he didn't want to submit in any way to the monster in front of him! But he wasn't exactly successful, bringing another obnoxious laugh out of Kai.

"And why would you need _my_ help?" he sneered, standing frozen in place. Po remained on guard, readying himself for any moves that the yak would try and pull.

"Because you're immortal...and I was kind of hoping to make the universe immortal," Po explained the best he could. He didn't know _how_ exactly that Kai would be able to do such a thing, or if he was even capable of actually going through with it.

"Why would I want to help when _you_ were the one who kept me trapped for a thousand years? You're doing all this for Oogway again, aren't you? Why are you still bending to his every need like a slave when he could just do the dirty work himself?"

"He wasn't lying," Po defended his master with a fire that raged through his bones at the fact that he had ever believed Kai in the first place. "He would never lie to me."

Kai only rolled his eyes, as if he'd been expecting Po to say those very words.

"I bet he also told you that you'd see your precious friends and family again, including Little Kitten. Well, you're mortal again at a thousand years old. Why haven't you seen any of them yet, panda?"

Po slammed his eyes shut, trying his best to tune out the lies and accusations that were sharper than Kai's jade swords. But it was just...so... _hard!_

"Face it. You're **_NEVER_** going to see them again, not even if you _do_ manage to make this pathetic world immortal," Kai spat, his voice laced with venom and using the words to his advantage.

No! He wouldn't give in again!

A torrent of rage catapulted through the Dragon Warrior. He couldn't take any of this anymore! He just wanted it to be over, to finally be at peace!

 _You. Are. **Wrong!**_ His mind screamed at the highest volume it could muster. He could feel something burning within him, churning around and around. It was almost like when Lotus had managed to change him back into a panda, but not as painful.

He didn't feel _any_ pain; it was actually warm and pleasant, like whenever he would use his Chi.

Po had no idea what was happening, but he latched onto the feeling and refused to let go, encouraging it to build and build and grow and grow. A bright green light formed around him and he could feel his panda spirit—part of Lotus' Chi—shifting and changing under his command, his staff quivering in his grip.

Kai had to shut his eyes against the blinding green light, lifting a hoof across his face for extra protection.

The light faded and Kai brought his hoof down, blinking so that he could adjust to the darkness once more...

...Only to find himself facing a massive golden dragon with bright green eyes.

After a thousand years, the Dragon Warrior—with his title still in place and his panda spirit intact—had finally learned how to control his transformations.


	15. Chapter 15

He was a dragon again.

He was a _dragon_ again!

Po almost panicked. Did this mean that he had to go to sleep again? He didn't feel tired at all...was he immortal like Kai once more? He didn't think so...he could feel that his connection to the universe was still broken. His powers were still gone...but he could still do _this!_

Had he really done it? Had he really just figured out how to switch between forms at will? Whenever he wanted? There was only one way to find out.

Grinning, Po imagined himself changing back into a panda. The green light flashed again, and he found himself standing on two legs with his staff held in one paw.

He laughed one of the most joyous laughs that he'd ever laughed, picturing his dragon form. Green light flashed yet again, and he was a huge reptile growling at his enemy...who was looking as if he was about to back up and run.

But Po wasn't going to let him.

He shot forward at lightning-fast speed with his staff gripped safely in his mouth, grabbing Kai in his claws and taking off into the sky—just like he had done all those years ago after throwing the spirit warrior down the thousands of steps that led up to the Jade Palace.

As expected the yak screamed and struggled, but Po wasn't having any of it; he only held Kai tighter.

He rose up and up into the brightening sky until it seemed like the earth was just a speck below them.

 _Master Oogway is not a liar,_ Po proclaimed loudly enough in his mind so that Kai was able to hear. _He can't do everything by himself...he works from the Spirit Realm and my job is to take care of things down here._

Kai could never be trusted; he could never be given a second chance, that much was certain. He was too wrapped up in all his hatred, and had lost most—if not all—of his sanity after having been trapped for a thousand years.

But he couldn't just do this without giving the evil spirit one more chance.

Po reached deeper into his captive's mind so he could communicate what he wanted to say, and what he hoped that Kai would agree to so that he wouldn't have to do it the hard way.

 _I'm giving you one last chance...if you cooperate and we work together on this, I won't trap you ever again and you'll be free forever._

Kai's snarls went silent as Po's words seeped in, and the Dragon Warrior was afraid for a moment that something was wrong when the yak didn't respond.

But then...

"Never."

 _You leave me no choice..._

The staff began to shake in between his teeth. The yin and yang symbol at its tip grew brighter and brighter with a white light, and he felt Kai begin to fade in his grip. The helpless Master of Pain didn't even struggle as he was changed into pure energy, just like when Po had thought that he'd disappeared forever in the Spirit Realm after foolishly giving him his Chi.

 _Skadoosh._

The weight in his talons was no more and Po knew that Kai was gone, his spirit's energy now trapped inside of the staff.

It wasn't over yet, though. He could still feel a nudge pushing him forward, his destiny calling to him in the distance.

 _I understand, Master._

And with that, he shot forward again.

He just kept surging ahead in a straight line, his heart pounding as different sights and places passed him by, Kai's immortal energy trailing behind from the staff.

He was going so fast that he was sure no one could really see him, except maybe feel jolts of energy like when the End had started.

Stunning sunrises and sunsets passed him by. Places that he never even knew had existed but would love to go to one day, and thousands of years of progress whirled—so frightening, confusing and fascinating all in one.

It was all beautiful.

He didn't stop until he was certain that Kai's energy had covered every bit and every edge of the universe.

Then he felt himself falling, and there was nothing he could do to stop it until he was finally slammed forcefully into the earth, his staff clattering to the ground.

It was over...he'd done it...the universe was safe...

But there was a price to pay, his own energy completely sapped after making his way all the way around the world.

A green flash and he was a panda once again. He groaned, trying to move—but his sore muscles cramped and he cried out, hissing in pain.

The world around him grew blurry, and he could feel his breathing beginning to slow, his Chi dimming.

Was he dying?

No! He couldn't be dying! He had to finish his job...but wait...it _was_ already finished...wasn't it? He was so confused...but maybe the confusion came with the fact that he was alone in the Forbidden Zone, bruised and battered as far as he could possibly be with absolutely no chance of recovery. What were the odds that he had ended up in the place where he'd first woken? What a way to go...

But his job really _was_ done. He could finally rest and be in peace. As much as he didn't want to, he wouldn't even mind going back to sleep for a thousand years.

It didn't even matter if he was never going to see everyone he loved again. His aching heart throbbing in agony, Po knew deep down that it was hopeless...

Kai was right. He was dying, and he was never going to see them again...

All he wanted to do was sleep and let everything go, to forget...and there was no one who could save him now...not even Chao like when he'd almost allowed the dragon to completely take over his mind.

Wind painfully ruffled his dirty and tangled fur.

 _Don't give up,_ he suddenly heard a familiar voice whisper.

The last thing he saw before darkness took over was an orange and black blur, and it almost shocked him back to the land of the living.

 _...Tigress?_

But it was too late, and the Dragon Warrior's final breath left him.


	16. Chapter 16

_I'm Lotus...Siyu...No, I'm Po..._

 _I'm the Dragon Warrior...aren't I?_

He didn't know who he was anymore. Everything he had ever known was gone. Everyone he had ever loved was gone. He had nothing to live for anymore...he was dead.

He was in the Spirit Realm, and he was alone.

He didn't want to be alone!

 _Who am I?_ He truly didn't know anymore, and he was scared. He was cold, alone and scared in this empty golden space. He shivered, wet tears streaming down his face.

 _I don't want to be alone...I don't want to be alone...please don't let me be alone...I've been alone for so long..._

This was all his fault. He'd done something a long time ago that had caused all this. It was a decision that he'd made, right? Then all he could remember was darkness.

It was so dark and still...for so many years...he'd missed out on _everything..._

 _I don't want to be alone..._

He tried to recall what happened last, but nothing came to mind. He tried to recall _anything_ that he possibly could, but it was blank...nothing.

 _I can't remember!_ he panicked, his heart pounding.

He remained frozen in fear until he finally felt a soft touch on his cheek, and his panic slowly faded. He barely responded, only glancing upward with his eyes.

Bits and pieces of memory were starting to come back to him now. There was that orange and black figure again that he'd seen before the blackness had taken over. She had beautiful yellow eyes and a bright, golden and red robe. He tried the best that he could to make sense of who it was, but he just couldn't remember.

"I waited so long," she sobbed with a smile, gently wrapping him into her arms. He still couldn't respond, stunned by the action.

It was then that it all came back to him.

"...Tigress...?"

She continued cradling him, rocking back and forth like a mother would her child. He lifted his own arms up slowly and carefully until they were wrapped around her, as well. He closed his eyes, hardly believing that this was _real,_ that she was _here_ with him.

 _Please don't let this be a dream,_ he begged, afraid to open his eyes should he find himself back in the mortal world on his own.

"Don't let go..." he pleaded, squeezing tighter.

"I'm never letting go again."

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry I left! It was all my fault!" If he hadn't been so stupid, none of this would have ever happened. He would still be a thousand years back in the past, able to live the life that he _should_ have lived.

"None of this was your fault. You made the right decision," Tigress reassured him gently.

"Are you real?" he had to ask in a quiet whisper. He _had_ to be sure. He _had_ to know that this wasn't some messed up dream, a cruel figment of his imagination that would flutter away once he woke up.

Her grip tightened. "I'm here...I'm here...it's all real..."

"We're _all_ real..." another familiar voice sounded. Po knew that voice, but it couldn't be...could it? He braced himself, reluctantly releasing his paws from Tigress—it was okay. She was still there. It was still real. She smiled, motioning for him to turn around with a small nod of her head.

"Dads! Mom...dad," he said in complete shock, staring with wide eyes at a certain large panda with a straw hat and a small goose. The panda had _another_ panda in hand. "You and mom are... _together!"_

His mother giggled, nodding with a paw tightly fastened around her husband's—a sight that Po had thought he would never get the chance to see. She looked just like he remembered from his visions, from when he'd remembered his past and what had happened to him as a child.

"Dad, I—" he started. He'd broken his father's promise of never regretting the decision that he'd made. He had fully regretted it.

"Don't you go saying sorry for breaking my promise," Mr. Ping scolded. "In all honesty...I probably would have regretted making a choice like that, too."

Po blinked. Then he smiled, reaching down to grab his father into a hug.

"I missed you so much, dad."

"I missed you too, son." Mr. Ping sobbed. "You did such a great job. We're all so proud."

Po's heart nearly stopped _again,_ and he had to take a moment to collect himself as he set Mr. Ping back to the ground...or air. Whatever it was that was making them all float.

 _Everyone_ was there...the Furious Five, Shifu, Bao, Lei Lei, and even the past villagers that he had once known.

 _"That_ was pretty hardcore," Shifu said with pride towards his student-turned-master-turned-dragon.

It took Po a second to figure out what he was talking about, but then it dawned on him.

"You saw that? First I was a panda. Then a dragon again! Then a panda again! I can finally control it!"

"Turns out you're not a useless reptile after all," Mantis laughed along with the others.

"Oh, we missed you so much, Po," Viper said, curling affectionately around his neck until she was back with the Five.

"I missed you guys, too."

He made his way over to Bao and Lei Lei, still sure that this was all a dream even though they had assured him that it was no such thing.

Bao jumped up and down in pure excitement to see his best friend again. Po wrapped him into a small hug as non-suffocating as it could be. Lei Lei giggled and made her way over to them, not letting them get away with it without her. She was still the same Lei Lei that he remembered; big blue eyes and a pink flower nestled into her fur.

"Hey guys," was all he could say among his tears that threatened to break loose again.

Then _another_ little panda caught his eye among the other cubs and his breath hitched.

"Lotus..." Po breathed, shock followed by guilt trailing through him as Chao's late brother met his vision—gray pants, hazel eyes and _everything._ It was like he had never sacrificed himself that fateful night when he'd turned the Dragon Warrior back into a panda. "I'm so sorry..." he seemed to be sorry a lot these days.

The cub took no mind. He grinned brightly, and Po couldn't help but grin back...all was forgiven, and if Po didn't know any better, it was like Lotus had never even blamed him for his death in the first place.

"You all are...the same. You're the same..." Po said, a relieved smile stretching from ear to ear as he kept his eyes trained on his family, wishing that the moment would never end.

"Just as you remember us," Li said, wrapping an arm around his son. "I told you that we would never forget you, and that you wouldn't forget us."

"...I almost did," Po said, glancing down with shame.

"Yet you never really _did_ forget."

Po nearly jumped as another figure came into view.

"Master Oogway...thank you...for finally letting me see them..." he said gratefully. "What happens now?"

He was dead this time, right? He'd died so many times now that he was certain this was the time that he would surely stay dead. Was there some kind of paradise beyond the Spirit Realm where everyone who had passed resided?

"I think they have something else in mind," Master Oogway answered with a knowing grin.

"We want to take you back to the past...back to the past so you can have your life back," Mr. Ping explained, his eyes bright with the knowledge that his son was actually going to get a second chance.

Po's eyes grew to be ten times their normal size. Was it even possible?

"But what about this time?" he asked Tigress fervently, his mind fogging over with surprise and confusion all in one. "What about Chao and Lotus? Your...husband and kids?" Where were _they,_ anyway? He really wouldn't mind meeting the love of Tigress's life, no matter how much jealousy coursed through his veins, or meeting her kids who had had kids...who had had even _more_ kids and so on until Chao was finally born—her descendant. He couldn't just make a decision like this!

"Everything will happen in its due course," Master Oogway took over the explanation, much to Tigress's relief. She only smiled, shook her head and placed her paws in Po's. He gripped them tightly in return; just like she'd promised, she was never going to let go even if it meant sacrificing the life that she had made for herself over the years.

"Fate will find ways to bring families and situations together again. Some will be the same, some will be different. They will not remember their past lives."

Master Oogway pointed a claw at Po, and the panda continued listening as if his life depended on it.

"Your memories, however, and everything you have learned here in this time will always stay with you, but no one else will remember. It will be as if you never even left."

"But the universe is immortal now...is that going to change if I choose to go back?"

"No; the universe's immortality will remain...it stretches across all of time now, including the past. Kai's spirit will never take its true form again."

It was too good to be true.

Po wanted so badly to say yes. He didn't want to make the same mistake that he had made a thousand years ago; but he couldn't just change the course of nature like this! It was wrong! So many lives would have to start over from the beginning...it was selfish! There were so many others who had been through more than he had, and _they_ never got any second chances.

Tigress smiled, leaning her body closer to his.

"I can sense your true desire, and your doubts and fears that come along with it. You are the most caring and selfless being that I've ever known, Po. Oogway was right to make you the Dragon Warrior, and as the Dragon Warrior, you have a duty to protect the universe and those around you...but you have to think about yourself sometimes, as well. It isn't wrong. You won't be selfish for making this decision...you've lost and been through so much, and what you don't realize is that by doing this, others that were not so fortunate will also get a second chance. You deserve this gift so much, Po..."

She reached a thumb outwards and rubbed it across his forehead with a small strand of her golden Chi trailing behind.

He blinked and almost instantly, a weight was lifted off of his shoulders. His worries about the universe—what would happen, when things would happen, and _how_ things would happen—vanished and he released a shaky breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding, fresh tears streaming down his cheeks. He'd done a lot for the universe, and now it wanted to do something for him. It would know exactly what to do—he could breathe easily. He could go _back._ He could go back and live the life that had so quickly passed him by.

He'd done it. He'd made the universe immortal, and in return...the universe wanted to send him back home.

He was finally free to make his own choice.

"Yes..." he sobbed as pure relief swept throughout his entire body. "Yes...I want to go back... _please_ take me back..." he cried into Tigress's shoulder. She held him as close as he could get, stroking his fur gently with a paw, his eyes drawing heavier and sore muscles relaxing with each soothing touch.

"It's alright...it's alright...you're finally going home," Tigress comforted, glancing at Master Oogway with a small nod.

Master Oogway smiled and nodded in return, raising his staff. Li, his wife, Mr. Ping, the Furious Five, Shifu, Lotus... _everyone_ gathered closer to Po and Tigress in a circle, their eyes closed and wings, paws and hooves glowing.

"We'll see you soon, son..." Mr. Ping whispered.

He hung onto Tigress with all his might.

"I'm not letting go."

Just as she'd promised.

Her next words caused his heart—though it was still recovering from all the pain and sorrow—to flutter and skip a beat, pleasant warmth spreading through him not just from her closeness.

He had never really been sure if she had heard him say those last three words while he had still been a dragon, unable to speak; it had been lingering in the back of his mind ever since he'd first woken.

But now he was _sure,_ and he was finally getting his response at last.

"I love you too, Po."

He felt tingly all over, and then there was a bright golden light that turned time over to reset—that spiraled him backwards a thousand years.


	17. Chapter 17

_Okay, it's here. The last chapter is finally here and this series is actually **complete!** I gotta warn you guys that there's a throwback to chapter 18 from The Fire Within in case it looks familiar, but it will start making sense ;) Once again, thank you to everyone who has faved, followed, reviewed or even just read this entire trilogy! I appreciate every single one of you!_

 _I'm also curious: what was your favorite story out of Eternal Flame, The Fire Within, and Solstice Sun? :)_

xxxx

He wasn't coming back, was he? Even though he had promised her that he would be back, Tigress knew that he wasn't ever going to be back again. She continued to look out over the restored Valley of Peace, searching high and low for any signs of a panda or a dragon, but there was none.

In all her grief, she hardly noticed that the cheering pandas and villagers had fallen silent, that the rain had stopped and there was a bright and colorful rainbow that stretched nearly all the way across the Valley.

She was vaguely aware of Shifu's voice in the background. "Tigress..." he said slowly, eyes wide. But Tigress hardly even noticed Crane's beak dropping in utter surprise.

Anger replaced her grief. _Why, Po?_ she thought mournfully. _Why did you have to go and save the world by yourself? You promised. You promised you would come back, and you're not here._

"Tigress...behind you," Shifu tried again. Still, Tigress ignored her master, closing her eyes in a tight squeeze. She wished that she had never met that stupid panda, then his absence wouldn't be hurting her as much as it did now. When had she become so weak?

 _It's all his fault,_ Tigress's mind screamed. _It's all Po's fault._

It wasn't until she was jostled by a strong bump from behind her that she finally turned around, coming face-to-face with...

"Po! You're back!" she cried in relief, instantly wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. He rumbled joyfully at their reunion, happy to be back at the Jade Palace.

A certain little panda cub instantly ran around in circles in excitement. "Po's back! Po's back!" Bao cried happily, grabbing Lei Lei with a paw to swing her around.

He did it. He'd kept his promise.

But there was only one problem.

"I _told_ you he turned into a dragon," Bao told a small bunny that had participated in their show and tell class. The bunny stared wide-eyed at the reptile, mouth agape in fear and wonder.

Releasing herself from their hug, Tigress looked up at his face to find that...Bao was right. Po was still a dragon.

 _No..._ she thought frantically. He'd saved the world. Shouldn't the dragon be at peace now? Why hadn't he changed back into a panda?

"I...I don't understand," Tigress said in confusion, trying her best to figure out why this was. But she came to her own resolve; she'd made herself promise that she would help Po find a way to change back into a panda no matter what happened, no matter how long it would take to find a 'cure.' She would even go back to the Spirit Realm with him if that was what they needed to do. "We'll all help you, just like we've been doing," she reassured the dragon calmly.

If he was permanently stuck like this, then he himself was being pretty calm about it, as well; Tigress didn't know what she would do if she were in his place.

Much to their shock, Po shook his head. He grinned and closed his eyes, and there was a bright green flash—so bright, that they had to shield their eyes.

"You...you can switch back on your own now?" Tigress questioned when the light finally dimmed, eyes widening.

Po grinned again. "Watch this."

He concentrated on his dragon form, and the crowd of villagers gasped when the massive creature appeared after another flash. He rumbled in delight, wrapping his tail around the stunned group and sliding them closer to him.

"Awesome!" Bao laughed with glee, throwing his little paws up in the air. Shifu nodded in agreement, absolutely shocked that Po had actually learned how to switch between forms on his own.

Tigress stared up in her own shock at the golden dragon. He was smiling down at her with a different kind of look in his eyes—like he hadn't seen her in forever and wasn't about to let her go anytime soon.

He transformed in a flash of green and pulled her close; Crane's beak dropped even further when she snuggled into his warm and fluffy chest. She couldn't explain it, but she herself felt that she hadn't seen him in a very long time.

"Don't let go," she whispered in content, hardly caring about the many eyes that surrounded them, or the way that Li grinned and nudged Mr. Ping lightly on his shoulder.

"I'm never letting go again," Po reassured her gently, squeezing tighter. Glancing over her shoulder, he could see that the Valley of Peace had been completely restored and was no longer the empty Forbidden Zone. There weren't any tall buildings; there wasn't a TV in sight, and there was no amount of electricity that could match the power his heart was generating.

He was back where he belonged.

xxxx

Po paced back and forth, his nerves getting the better of him as he awaited news that Tigress was going to be alright, or if she had gotten worse. It had been hours and he'd had to endure listening to her screaming and howling in absolute pain until he was kicked out of the Jade Palace, forced to wait outside the stone walls with his fathers. The Furious Five and all the others, unfortunately, would not get a chance to see her until much later.

Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, the palace gates opened at last.

Po's words raced. "Issheokay?Aretheyokay?Didsomethinghappen?"

"Panda!" the gruff voice of Shifu shouted. Po stopped, glancing down at his master.

"You may go in now," Shifu said, rubbing his head in exasperation. "The process went well without any issues, but she is very tired and weak. You must take care."

Po nodded in understanding, breathing a sigh of relief as the good news registered that Tigress was alright. Shifu led the three of them inside.

xxxx

"Hi..." Po whispered as quietly as he could upon entering the room where Tigress rested. She blinked wearily and raised her head so she could see him better, smiling when she realized that the Dragon Warrior and his fathers had come in to see the new bundles of joy.

"Hi," Tigress whispered back, her voice practically gone from all of her screaming; but Po knew that every second of her pain was going to be worth it.

His eyes trailed over her, double checking to make sure that she was alright. She lay on a bed, warm underneath its soft and gentle covers.

Then his eyes rested upon _them._

Tigress held them both, cradled protectively against her chest. She smiled weakly, relieved that the hard part was over at last. Li, Mr. Ping and Shifu stood close enough to see, but far enough away so they could have some space.

"Can you hold one for me?" Tigress asked, reaching an arm out so Po could take one of the little bundles covered in blankets.

Po nodded in slow motion, moving forward as if his legs were made of jelly. Once he had a bundle in his arms, he knew that he couldn't stop for fear of dropping the tiny life that it held inside.

He couldn't believe it.

He was a dad...he'd helped create the _two_ little lives before him.

His heart fluttered and his breath caught in his chest as he realized that his daughter had _his_ eyes.

She had his bright green eyes and black eye patches, and her mother's beautiful black stripes that stretched along snow-white fur with big and small orange splotches that were splattered here and there. Gazing down at his daughter's brother, he could see that the only way to tell the difference between the two was that his son had faint black freckles around his nose, and he had his mother's gorgeous yellow eyes.

"They're like us blended in together," Po laughed quietly, holding his daughter closer to his chest.

Li laughed along with him. "I can't believe we're granddads!" he exclaimed in a whisper, reaching down to wrap Mr. Ping into a hug. The goose didn't even bother to resist, too mesmerized by the newborn cubs to argue.

"I can't believe I'm a _dad..."_ Po knelt down closer to Tigress and grinned. "We're gonna be the best parents ever." He hoped that Bao wasn't going to be jealous over the new arrivals. As busy as his days would become, Po knew that he still had to make time for his friends, especially the little dumpling kicker.

Shifu felt that it was time to bring up the subject. "Have you decided on names?"

Tigress nodded in Po's direction. "It's up to him."

Po answered without hesitation. "Chao."

Tigress smiled once more. "Chao?"

"After a friend..." A friend who wouldn't be born until a thousand years later. Even though Tigress hadn't had kids with the one she had fallen for after he had gone to sleep, Master Oogway said Chao would be safe. He would still be born, and Po hoped against all hope that fate would allow him to be reunited with his brother who was also going to get a second chance.

"And you're Lotus," Po told his daughter warmly, stealing a glance at Li. The panda's eyes were shining in approval, threatening to break loose at any second.

In that moment as Po held onto his new family and their breathing synchronized and their hearts connected—everything was perfect.

He wasn't going to be alone or forgotten in the dark ever again.

He was Lotus.

He was Shanzhi Siyu—Warrior Thinking of the World.

He was Po.

He was the Dragon Warrior.


End file.
